More Than Meets the Eye
by Hellsfirescythe
Summary: When Charlie turns eleven years old, ‘What more does a boy want than a pet?’ thinks Willy Wonka. Their trip to a local pet shop brings more surprises than ‘just a pet’ as competition rears its ugly head. CatCFxPSoH
1. Happy Birthday Charlie

Title: Pure of Heart

Author: Hellsfire.scythe

Summary: When Charlie turns eleven years old, 'What more does a boy want than a pet?' thinks Willy Wonka. Their trip to a local pet shop brings more surprises than 'just a pet' as competition begins to rear its ugly head. CatCF/PSoH

Time Setting: This is set a little more than one year after Charlie gets into the factory and a bit after volume ten of Pet Shop of Horrors.

**What is PSoH?** PSoH stands for 'Pet Shop of Horrors'. It's a rather dark manga series, usually classified in the horror category. So if you like the rather dark tales that Tim Burton spins and Johnny Depp acts in, you'd rather like this series.

"_Welcome to Chinatown, a mysterious place where rare and valuable commodities from around the world can be found. During your stay, be sure to visit Count D's pet shop, where love and dreams are sold in the form of mythical creatures, but not without a catch. The buyer must adhere to a set of rules, which if broken, may result in death…or worse"_ – Summary from the back of PSoH Vol. 2

(Spoiler: The series is set in LA's Chinatown. But in volume 10, Count D runs away to somewhere different to get away from police and such.)

The main character in this manga has many similarities to Willy Wonka. Count D is not afraid of giving people what they deserve: love, dreams, riches, fame, or death. But he rather likes interacting with his animals than with humans. So why don't you come in and enjoy the incense and silks. I'm sure you'll find something of your liking here in Count D's pet shop.

**Chapter One: Happy Birthday Charlie!**

Hmm...everything seemed to be going well today. The Squares that looked Round were looking round. The hair toffee was nearly balanced out (the last Oompa-loompa that tried it got a nice coat of hair all over his body, but one could distinctly tell where the mustache, beard, and hair on top of his head were). His Everlasting Gobstoppers could change flavors every day now, instead of every week, and were due on the market very soon.

Yes, everything in the factory was running very smoothly today. Willy Wonka rose up from behind a rack of clear tubes and glasses that bubbled and fizzed with every color imaginable and pursed his lips at his newest invention...and even _that_ was going smoothly underway (no explosions yet at this stage). He dipped a gloved finger into the concoction and tasted it. 'More snozzberries,' he jotted into a small notebook.

But why did it feel like he was forgetting something?

Oh no, it wasn't an 'I forgot the cherry on top of my float.' It was more like an, 'I forgot to put chocolate in the Chocolate River,' something immensely important but easily remedied. Quickly, he looked out the door of the Inventing Room. The chocolate _was_ in the Chocolate River, so that wasn't the problem. A frown made an appearance on Willy Wonka's face. Now this just wouldn't do. '_What am I forgetting?'_

With his cane securely in grasp, Wonka made his way over to the Great Glass Elevator. Several Oompa-loompas grimaced as the sound of a crash echoed through the room. As usual, the man would get up, a bit askew, but unhurt, and the doors to the glass elevator chimed open.

Wonka watched in delight as rooms whizzed by. There was Fudge Mountain! He waved back at the Oompa-loompas hewing away chunks of fudge. The Chocolate Room and its candied hills and plants whizzed by: '_My, the river is running smoothly as well!'_ Down the elevator dropped, and subsequently jerked to a stop. The glass doors chimed open and Wonka stepped out to his destination.

"Why hello, Doris!"

The said Oompa-loompa looked up from her paperwork and gave Wonka a wave. He stepped closer to the diminutive desk and sat down in front of it, legs crossed in front of his chest. Doris looked up over her horn-rimmed glasses and tapped her manicured fingernails on the surface of her desk.

"I'm forgetting something today, and it's causing me quite the fluster," admitted Wonka. Doris nodded as she noticed the man's fluttering hands were indeed flustered. "What am I forgetting today?"

He watched eagerly as Doris typed something onto her computer. The sound of the printer whirring to life made him start, but Wonka watched as a receipt-sized piece of paper inched out. With a practiced flourish, Doris tore the paper out of the slot and handed it to the man.

_Things Mr. Wonka has forgotten to-day, Jan. 14:_

_-To floss_

_-To read the mail_

_-Charlie Bucket's eleventh birthday_

"Oh my! It's Charlie's birthday?" exclaimed Wonka, Doris nodded solemnly back at him. "Thank you, Doris. I don't know what sort of trouble I wouldn't be in if it weren't for you." The female Oompa-loompa nodded again and returned to her paperwork.

Wonka leapt to his feet and quickly made his way to the Great Glass Elevator. A crash and a few winces later, the elevator zipped away.

'_What to do? What to do? What to do?'_ Wonka nervously chewed his lip as he tapped his cheek with gloved fingers. The elevator stopped and started again as the mail from the Mail Room dropped through its doors. Oh, there was a letter from his father, Dr. Wonka.

_Dear William,_

_I do hope life is going on all right at the factory for you lately. I dropped a letter by to wish young Charlie a happy birthday and to tell you that my patients are immensely appreciating your no-floss candy chews. _

_Enclosed are a twenty pound note for Charlie's birthday present, and an appointment time. _

_Sincerely,_

_Wilbur Wonka_

Carefully, Wonka folded the letter back up and tucked it into the folds of his coat as the elevator took another rocketing leap. Within no time, he was in the entrance hall to the factory. Charlie's family was already there, grandparents and all, awaiting his arrival. Anxiously, Wonka stood next to Mr. Bucket and gave the other man a whimpering grin. Mr. Bucket smiled back.

All eyes were glued to the entrance as young Charlie Bucket burst through the door. Charlie flashed everyone a wire-filled smile (Dr. Wonka had given young Charlie braces on his first appointment, Wonka on the other hand was rather relieved and envious when he found out that Charlie wasn't going to need any sort of cumbersome headgear).

"Hello Mom, hello Dad, hello Grandpa Joe, Grandma Josephine, Grandpa George, and Grandma Georgina," greeted Charlie hugging each of the Buckets. "Hello Mr. Wonka." He wrapped his arms around Wonka's waist and gave the man a quick squeeze.

"How was school, Charlie?" Mrs. Bucket asked. Ever since Charlie came to the factory, Charlie's mother had made it clear that she still wanted young Charlie to continue to go to school. So Wonka had relented to her wishes, and Charlie now received lessons of 'taking care of the factory' during weekends and after homework on weekdays. He peered closer at Mrs. Bucket; her hands were behind her back, as if she were hiding something.

"It was good. But, Ms. Barnes said that I should pick a different animal for my paper to write about instead of a Whangdoodle, because she said that such animals do not exist," Charlie sighed as he shook some snow off of his coat.

"Perhaps you should change the subject. I doubt Ms. Barnes will understand," began Mr. Bucket, but he was rapidly cut off.

A snort sounded from Wonka. "Poppycock and bladderdashes! Of course Whangdoodles exist. They're the reason I brought Oompa-loompas into my factory. Maybe one day I can take you, Charlie, to Loompaland and we can meet a Whangdoodle for ourselves!"

"I'll just turn in two papers, one about Whangdoodles, and the other about a regular animal species. That ought to satisfy Ms. Barnes," Charlie compromised.

His parents glanced at each other, then at Charlie, and then at Wonka before nodding in consent.

Mrs. Bucket shuffled closer to Charlie and bent over so that she was eye-level to the boy. "Charlie, the reason that we are all down here today is because..."

"Happy Birthday Charlie!" shouted out all of his family.

Wonka jumped at the sudden and unexpected chorus. Not to be forgotten he carefully edged further away before giving Charlie a great smile. "Happy Birthday Charlie, my favorite apprentice!" He pulled on a multi-colored tassel that wasn't there before and a shower of confetti and streamers sprinkled down upon the Buckets and Wonka.

A greater smile appeared on Charlie's face as he looked back and forth between his family and Wonka. "Why-why thank you!" gushed the boy, who was now decorated with bits of colorful streamers and paper. The Buckets who were equally decorated smiled back.

Charlie's parents handed him a present, wrapped in colorful paper. Everyone gathered closely around Charlie as he carefully undid the wrapping paper. Wonka watched as Charlie pulled out a brand new book bag. Inside were a bar of Wonka Chocolate, a few books (some educational, some for fun), a sweater, and a small card. The boy's face lit up in pleasure and he nibbled a corner off of the candy bar and read the card. "Thank you, Mom, Dad, Grandpa Joe, Grandma Josephine, Grandpa George, and Grandma Georgina."

Some things never changed. Charlie was still as sweet as he was when he first came into the factory. The boy never over-indulged himself in candy and other sweets, even though he was surrounded by them in the factory. Wonka smiled as he once again crowed inwardly at his correct choice of an heir.

"So what would an eleven year old boy, like for his birthday? Huh Charlie?" asked Wonka eagerly, he bounced on the balls of his feet and waited for Charlie's answer.

Charlie glanced around and then at the ground, he seemed unsure. "Well, Mr. Wonka. I…"

Everything seemed to fade away as Charlie tried to make words come out of his mouth.

Wonka found himself a child again and hearing himself answering his own question.

"_May I have a pet, father?"_

"_What sort of pet?" Dr. Wonka eyed young Wonka with a raised eyebrow._

"_A dog?" Wonka could feel his excitement bubbling in his chest. But it was quickly washed away at the look of horror Dr. Wonka's face._

"_Now, William, you know I have the most horrible allergies. What do you think a dog or a cat will do?"_

_No words came from Willy Wonka's brace-lined mouth._

_The scene faded away to be replaced by young Wonka peering at a small fishbowl on his desk. A goldfish gaped silently in the water, a few minutes later, it floated belly up, no longer swimming._

"Of course! What more could a young man want than a pet! I'll get you a pet, Charlie! Provided of course, that it doesn't get into any of my candy-making rooms." Wonka looked enthusiastically for Charlie's reaction.

"Really, Mr. Wonka? A pet?" Charlie whispered in awe.

"Yep! Really. No joking."

Charlie looked over to his parents and they glanced at each other, before giving a shrug and a nod. "Yes, I would like that Mr. Wonka. Thank you," replied Charlie in a hushed voice.

"Then what are we waiting for, silly?" giggled Wonka, he grabbed his winter coat off of the wall and headed towards the door. "Lets go get you that pet!"

"A-alright, Mr. Wonka!" Charlie quickly slipped his coat back on and followed Wonka out of the factory doors and out into the snow.

_To be continued..._


	2. We Can't Buy People for Pets

**Chapter Two: We Can't Buy People for Pets**

The evening sun was setting in the sky, casting it into glorious shades of red, yellow, orange, blue, and purple. People milled about the street that was bright with snow. Charlie stared in wonder at the bright and colorful world outside the factory, or rather the sky. But Wonka was busy covering his face with the daily newspaper and a pair of dark sunglasses. The chocolatier followed along blindly by letting Charlie drag him by the coat-sleeve around the small town, hoping that the boy knew where the local pet shop was.

"Mr. Wonka," came Charlie's voice.

Wonka peeked out from behind his newspaper quickly before ducking back behind it to hide from passersby. "What is it, Charlie?" he whispered, a bead of sweat dripping from his temple. It had been so long since he had been out on the streets. Was that man staring at them? A squeak of terror emerged from Wonka's throat and he bustled Charlie further down the street.

"Are you alright, Mr. Wonka?" Charlie turned around, worry expressed in those clear blue eyes.

"People are staring at us Charlie! Make them stop!" the chocolatier whimpered, crunching the newspaper tighter in his grip.

Charlie sighed and gently pulled down Wonka's arms. "Calm down, Mr. Wonka. They're staring because you stick out like a sore thumb. Just act n- " the boy seemed to be at a loss of words before going on, " calm."

The newspaper was slowly lowered and Wonka carefully straightened his collar. He gave a weak smile to the next person who passed. The large and surly looking man returned his gesture with a middle finger. "Why, how rude," Wonka muttered, drawing himself together in a huff.

They stopped at an abandoned old building that had the words 'Pet Shop' painted on in fading letters. "Wow, this place looks older than all four of your grandparents put together, Charlie. Are you sure this is it?" Wonka asked, he tentatively reached out a gloved hand and passed it over the surface of the door. When it came away, so did most of the paint. Hurriedly, Wonka wiped his hands clean in the snow.

"It _was_ it. It looks like it's been closed for a while," murmured Charlie, with a slightly downcast look on his face.

Wonka took the newspaper to dust off the remainder of the paint from his coat when he spotted a small ad on the corner of the page. It looked very oriental in style and rather colorful.

_Count D's Pet Shop_

_Located on 606 Magnolia Ave, open from 9 am-7 pm._

Looking from Charlie to the ad, Wonka's face brightened up. "What's with the face? Just because _this_ pet shop is closed, doesn't mean you won't get you birthday present. Come on!" he grabbed hold of Charlie's wrist and pulled the boy in the direction he _hoped _was Magnolia Avenue.

After a while, they were helplessly lost. Charlie wisely kept silent through everything, unsure of what Wonka was doing. They seemed to be passing through an Oriental neighborhood. A Chinese man and his daughter were just finishing putting something on the door. When the two left, a bright red sheet of paper with a rather ornate character was left on it. An old Asian man and woman walked leisurely down the street, swinging their arms.

Wonka heaved a sigh of relief when he looked back up from his paper and then to a sign on top of a little shop. "See Charlie! I told you I knew there was another pet shop around!" crowed Wonka.

"You really did!" exclaimed Charlie, looking very very surprised and pleased, "I almost thought we were lost."

"Oh no, not one bit. I knew where we were going the whole entire time!" Wonka lied with a sparkly smile. He checked his candy-faced pocket watch for the time. It was six thirty exactly. He and Charlie had left the factory at four o'clock. The chocolatier shrugged as he followed Charlie into the pet shop. At least they made it.

His olfactory senses were greeted with the smell of incense. Charlie gasped in wonder at the sight before them. Plush armchairs were laid out next to a coffee table. An old clock hung from the wall (five minutes slow, one might add). Somewhere deep inside the shop, a bell jingled merrily as the door closed behind them.

Wonka stood by the doorway as Charlie slowly moved further into the pet shop. "Mr. Wonka, I'm not sure what to d " something seemed to catch the boy's eye, "Hey! Wait up!" and with that Charlie scampered after something deeper inside. That left Wonka at the doorway, still not knowing what to do. He certainly hoped that Charlie knew.

"That's a good child you have. I'm sure he'll find exactly what he wants here," chirped an assuring voice. Wonka turned in surprise, and found that he was not as alone as he thought… not that he was fond of the idea of being alone with another person. A very beautiful oriental lady stepped out of the shadows, a mysterious smile on her face. "I'm being rude, aren't I? Here, sit down, and we can talk over some tea." She gestured towards the armchairs.

The chair seemed to fold him into the soft cushions, but Wonka found himself still tense and panicky as the woman gazed back at him curiously from across the table. '_Please let Charlie hurry and find something.'_

"You aren't the boy's father, am I correct?" asked the woman, seemingly out of the blue, after she slid an elegant tea cup towards him. Wonka choked on his first sip and almost spewed the tea out of his mouth.

He spent the next minute coughing and attempting to clear his throat, "No, I am not the boy's f f " Wonka gulped down one more cup of tea, "father." The lady steadily filled up the cup once again. The image of him being Charlie's father popped into Wonka's mind and the man flinched again.

The next few minutes seemed to be spent in awkward silence. Wonka fidgeted in his seat some more and took a few more sips of the tea. It had been a while since he had drank tea

Reaching into the folds of his coat, Wonka drew out a long flat box that said 'Test box #378'. Carefully he placed it on his lap and slipped off the lid.

"What is it?" the woman asked. There was a _very_ curious look on her face.

"It's my latest and greatest invention," Wonka stated nonchalantly. "Since I make chocolate for all kinds of occasions, I thought to myself. 'Hmm if people can enjoy my candies in everyday life, why can't they enjoy them at nice occasions?'. I remember the dinner at the president's. Absolutely horrid, not one chocolate to be seen." He peered at one of the small chocolates with one eye. When he judged that it was relatively fit enough as eye candy (and relatively safe to eat), he popped it into his mouth. "So now I'm making chocolates that should be delectable enough and good-looking enough to take and serve at dinner parties." He finished over a mouthful of chocolate.

"What a wonderful idea!" exclaimed the woman, clasping her hands together.

Wonka glanced up from another chocolate that was swirled with a gold topping and had a small sliver of almond on top. The woman was staring back at him with a great smile on her face and her mismatched eyes practically dazzling in delight. He looked from the chocolate to the woman and to the chocolate again before thrusting it out before her. "Um would you like to try a piece?"

Her reaction was instantaneous. It was as if he had offered her one of those silly things he had seen men do in sappy soap operas, getting down on one knee and all. She took the chocolate and delicately took a bite out of it and bliss spread over her face. "It's like heaven."

"Why thank you." Wonka stammered, feeling quite flattered and rather pleased with himself. "That one is a milk chocolate with a fizzpop soaked cherry in the middle of it. The toppings were just for looks."

"There's a fizzing and popping in my mouth now," murmured the woman delightfully. "But the chocolate's already gone!"

A whiff of Satisfied Air™ filled Wonka, as he explained, "That would be the fizzpop cordial I put the cherries in."

The lady hid a giggle behind a finely manicured hand and smoothed out her Chinese silk dress. Wonka found himself admiring the dark red chrysanthemum blossoms intricately embroidered all over the black silk dress. Sometimes, when the woman shifted in a certain way, the dress would turn a dark red and the flowers black. '_How weirdly__ cool!'_

Laughter echoed down the halls of the small shop and Wonka tilted his head curiously at the noise.

"It seems that the boy has found some friends." The lady stood and made her way to the hall. "Come along, sir."

Slowly, the teacup was set on the table and the chocolatier followed the woman through the halls dimly lit shop.

There were doors everywhere! Wonka felt himself itching to just open one of them, but managed to restrain himself, just barely. Charlie's laughter and chatter sounded louder and much closer, Wonka could now here whispers and giggles along with the boy's. Were these the woman's children? He looked at the lady and made a face? Was she a m-m-mother?

One of the doors was open just a sliver and a ray of light shone through. The lady gently pushed the door open and Wonka gasped and stayed behind her figure. There were so many children! He peered over her shoulder and saw Charlie in the midst of them, petting one of them. "You're a good boy, aren't you?" cooed Charlie. Wonka made a confused face. Last time he checked, people didn't pet each other. But they seemed to be nice children. He saw no one whining, or bullying, or any other things that horrible wicked children would do. No, they were getting along with Charlie quite nicely.

"I think the boy has found a pet," the lady commented in a pleased manner.

Wonka looked at her in horror. "A pet? I wasn't aware that people were pets." He looked closer at the children as they turned to regard him, and then the lady. "Are they?"

A look of surprise entered the lady's pale face and mismatched eyes. Charlie looked confusedly from Wonka to the children. One slender hand moved towards the lady's throat and she stroked her chin thoughtfully for a moment. "The boy may take one of them home as his own."

"What?" Wonka's eyes nearly bugged out in surprise, "I can't bring another human into the chocolate factory! In fact, I think I've had more humans in my factory this year, than I've had in the last," he checked his watch, "fifteen years of my life! Oh and the horrible nasty spies I've had, stealing my hard work. Sometimes I don't understand them, I don't understand them at all." A small frown appeared on Wonka's lips and he crossed his arms.

"So why is the boy living with you?"

"Because he won the contest! He's my bestest and favoritest and only-est heir! So when I get all old and crinkly and dry, or when he's old enough, he's going to inherit my entire chocolate factory!" boasted Wonka, waving his cane of candy around wildly. "Isn't that right Charlie?"

"Mr. Wonka, you're hardly old enough to start thinking like that," Charlie admonished. "I think I've found a pet, but I don't see any people around."

The comment went ignored, "I'm sure Charlie can come and visit the children any time he wishes, but I just can't _buy_ one!" Wonka finished, setting his cane firmly on the ground.

"As you wish," the lady yielded, giving him a small, respectful bow.

Charlie almost had a look of protest in his face, but it disappeared, replaced instead with disappointed compliance. Wonka's lips thinned in an agonizing line. He hated seeing Charlie in such a state. He _had_ promised the boy a pet. It could be as if Mr. and Mrs. Bucket decided to have another kid (Wonka shivered at the thought)! How on earth could a little squeak like any of these kids find their way out of the factory?

"Alright, Charlie, I change my mind." Wonka announced, both the lady and Charlie looked at him in reactions ranging from mild expectancy to ecstatic surprise. "Pick a ch- I mean a pet. Then we should head home to think what your parents see. Wait, strike that and reverse it."

"Thank you, Mr. Wonka!" giggled Charlie, he picked himself up from the hoard of children and threw his arms around Wonka's waist as soon as he got close enough. A soft smile appeared on Wonka's lips and he gently ruffled Charlie's hair, a habit he had started of late.

"I made a Promise, and I promised you a pet, my dear Charlie. And I can't break promises. Those little buggers are harder than diamonds!" Wonka reached into a pocket and pulled out a round clear Gobstopper like object that said, 'Charlie gets a pet'. A small, almost invisible crack went through it.

"What's that, Mr. Wonka?" Charlie asked, as Wonka returned the object into a pocket.

"That, dear Charlie, is a Promise that I made to you," stated Wonka, a warm smile spreading across his face. "Now, go pick someone you like." Charlie gave him a strange look and Wonka caught on to his mistake. "I meant a pet, heh heh, a pet!"

_Break._

When Wonka and Charlie got home, the Buckets were delighted and perplexed by Charlie's choice of a pet, but more so delighted.

To Wonka, it seemed that Charlie's choice of a friend was rather interesting. To the Buckets, who could not adore a small ball of pink fluff? After all, a phoenix, a baby phoenix at that, isn't something regular humans see every day.

Back at Count D's, the 'lady' munched happily on the remainder of a box of chocolates. A lid nearby said 'Test box #378', and a copy of a contract lay on the coffee table.

_-Do not touch when being reborn_

_-Do not leave near large bodies of water_

_-Feed it fine seeds and fresh fruits daily_

To be continued...

So I'll try to update one chapter a week.

I hope everyone is finding this alright. Just to tell everyone. PsoH is Pet Shop of Horrors. You can find out more about it on the internet, or read the manga at your local bookstore, or watch the anime by BitTorrent.

Hellsfire.scythe


	3. Baby Blues and Golden Eggs

Title: Pure of Heart

Author: Hellsfire.scythe

Chapter: 3?

Summary: When Charlie turns eleven years old, 'What more does a boy want than a pet?' thinks Willy Wonka. Their trip to a local pet shop brings more surprises than 'just a pet'. CatCF/PSoH

Thank you everyone that has reviewed and or read this story so far! It really helps me stay committed and want to keep on writing more. I have to say, this is the most committed I've ever stayed to a fanfic of any sort. A chapter a week…wow, I'm really rolling! Let's keep on trucking then!

**Chapter Three: Baby Blues and Golden Eggs**

It was an On-Schedule Day. No matter what happened around the factory, everything was still on-schedule. It was more like a day off for the Oompa-loompas. Half of them were back in their homes in the factory, munching on cocoa beans, three-eighths of them were in the 'Butterscotch and Buttergin' room making quite the tizzy, and the last eighth were the busy type and still bustling around the factory.

Wonka knocked briskly on the Buckets' door, ah, exactly on time as well, not a second late! Grandpa Joe's head stuck out of the door and Wonka nearly jumped back in shock. "Ahh, Mr. Wonka, Charlie's been expecting you."

"Of course he has! That's why I'm here." Wonka replied back weakly, he sidled past the elderly man with a smile and entered into Charlie's room.

Charlie's room seemed to be almost empty. There were a couple bags lying around, neatly stuffed with clothing, towels, books, and other odd things. Wonka's lips pursed in thought. "What are all of your things doing in bags, Charlie?"

"My class is going on a trip into the mountains. We'll be staying at a ski lodge," Charlie explained as he double-checked one of his bags for something.

"Going? For how long?" Wonka's eyes darted around the room at the bags, _Hopefully, he won't be gone as long as it seems.'_

Charlie zipped up the bag again and pulled it off of his bed. "I'll be gone for three days, Mr. Wonka. I hope that won't be too troublesome for you."

"Butwhat about our inventions? What about the factory? What about me?" the torrent of words seemed to spill out of Wonka's mouth faster than he could hold them in. Immediately, he felt icky and selfish inside.

"I don't have to go on the trip, Mr. Wonka."

Wonka's lips formed a little 'o'. Charlie would give up a fun class trip in the mountains for him? Blue oculars met purple ones and Wonka gave the boy an indulging smile, "Of course you have to go on the trip, my dear Charlie!"

"I do? But you said our inventions, the factory and" Wonka hurriedly placed a glove hand over Charlie's mouth to silence him.

"Oh posh, Charlie. Go have fun on your trip," admonished Wonka. He slowly removed his hand, "But I'm warning you, little boy. You had better be back in one piece. I don't want my only heir to be gobbled up by any Ice Wampas!" he shook one lilac-gloved hand in front of Charlie's face. "Besides! Who knows what sort of new candies you might be able to dream up all the way up there! The last time I went into the mountains, you wouldn't be able to guess what I found!"

"What did you find?" Charlie's blue eyes sparkled in wonder.

"My sugar-candy sheep, of course!" Wonka giggled, a loud screech interrupted the exchange. "What's that gosh-darned noise?"

Charlie tilted his head at Wonka's expression of distress, "I think we woke up Feng Huang. She's just hungry, that's all."

The boy grabbed a small jar off of his nightstand and rushed to the corner of the room. Wonka slowly followed after Charlie.

Well, the little tyke certainly looked better than when Charlie first brought her home to the factory a few days ago. She wasn't as shriveled or wrinkly looking as most newborns was. In fact, she had fattened up and was looking into the world with large obsidian eyes. What in the entire world possessed Charlie to take home a little Chinese baby wrapped in silks, jewels, and the whole shebang?

"Look, Mr. Wonka! I think she's growing some feathers now. See the bits of red in her down?" Charlie pointed at Feng Huang as he feed her some dull colored mush. _Feathers?'_ Wonka looked at the area in which Charlie was pointing and saw nothing but her pink silk blanket which was now covered in red flowers. So what? She changed blankets.

"That's great, Charlie!"

_Break._

Mr. Bucket's at work. Mrs. Bucket is at work. The Grandparent Buckets aresleeping. Charlie's gone for three days with his class to visit the mountains. Poor Wonka was left alone, well, not really. A burble from his chest interrupted his self-pitying thoughts. '_How did I get myself into this?'_

A cloth swathed around his shoulder and under the opposite arm was turned into a crude sling. Inside was Feng Huang, gurgling cheerfully up at the muddled chocolatier. Her chubby hand reached up and tugged on his lapels.

"Nuh-uh! No touchy!" scolded Wonka, prying her fingers off as if he were handling a dead fish. Feng Huang just gave him a gummy smile.

The morning went by quickly, with not much trouble. Though there was that situation in which a couple of Oompa-loompas tried a bit of the Fizzy Lifting drinks. A few hours were spent trying to fish the two Oompa-loompas off of the ceiling of the room. Then there was the problem with dismantling the gum machine in the 'Inventing Room'. Apparently the problem with the gum happened because there was _something_ stuck in the tubes. One of the Oompa-loompas ingested the strange substance, well, it could be said that there would be another blue little person running around the factory, and more blueberry juice for the juicing room.

But lunch time had to come, and with lunch came hunger. The kitchen was paid a very expectant visit.

"Come on you little bugger, open up!" prodded Wonka, pressing a large peach against Feng Huang's lips. The only response that given was a wet and messy 'phffft'. Oompa-loompas that were around looked at each other and shrugged, none of them knew why their boss was pressing a whole fruit against the beak of a little bird that was just as big.

Wonka put the peach down and made a face, "You're a bit more trouble than I thought you were. Aren't you?" Feng Huang wiggled her arms out of her blankets and slapped the table a few times, her spit pooling on the little table. "You're gross and you're short!"

A few more minutes were passed and the chocolatier and the infant's antics persisted. Feng Huang didn't manage to eat a thing, but quite a few things rolled quite nicely across her table.

As more time passed, Wonka grew more frustrated, as did his charge. Finally, her face screwed up terribly, and her tiny mouth opened demandingly. "Oh no," Wonka muttered. "Don't you dare start…" an irritated wail filled the room, "…crying."

"You know I liked you a lot better when you were quite." The terrible noise persisted no matter what Wonka tried. Apples rolled across the table, Oompa-loompas started singing ditties that reflected quite poorly on Wonka's pet-sitting abilities, and everything was making Wonka quite flighty.

Finally, he deftly scooped the bundle into his arms and placed her inside his make-shift sling. "Oh gosh-darned it! Why'd Charlie have to go?" An idea popped quite literally in his mind, one that he did not particularly like. But it was all he had.

Later that day, some people around town would whisper about a rather outlandishly dressed man tearing down the streets with a bundle in hand and muttering quite heatedly about something or the other.

_Break._

Everything was just the same as it was a few days ago. Wonka stood for a moment in the doorway and let the warm incense-filled air whisk past him into the cold afternoon. He shook his head dazedly and closed the ornate doors behind him. Quickly, he checked on Feng Huang. The little thing had somehow found a way to fall asleep on the way here.

"Uh, hello? Is anybody home?" Wonka pushed past some silken drapery and found himself back in the sitting room from the other day. A shirtless man (if one could call it that) lounged in one of the chairs. Wonka stared at the curled horns that seemed to sprout out of his head.

"What are you doing back here?" the man drawled. He picked at his teeth languidly and eyed Wonka in a way that the chocolatier felt it were as if he were being measured up for a meal.

"I-I'm looking for the owner of this shop?" Wonka stammered his eyes flitted around the room, looking for anything familiar.

There was a loud crash as the man tumbled off of the chair, he cursed loudly and stomped away, casting dark looks in Wonka's direction.

"Hi! Don't worry about T-chan, he's just surprised. It's not often that anyone sees us." piped a silvery voice. Wonka jumped and grimaced as his eyes landed on a prim looking girl. "You can call me Pon-chan. I suppose you're looking for the Count?"

"The Count?" Wonka's expression became even more confused. He felt a slight stir in his arms and the wails started once again.

"What's going on? Is someone hurt?" a melodious voice darted out of no where and the woman skidded into the room. "Is everything alright?" her voice regained some calm and Wonka gulped and held up the sling in his arms.

"I don't know why she's crying…the little bugger won't stop." Wonka said slowly.

A sigh sounded from the woman and she motioned for Wonka to follow her.

Wonka fidgeted as he watched the woman from his chair. She was meticulously cutting a rather large fruit into tiny pieces. Feng Huang had stopped her squalling right after the woman put in new incense, now the infant contented herself with staring up continuously at Wonka from the sling.

"What are you looking at?" Wonka challenged. Black obsidian eyes just continued staring back at him, never blinking. "You're kinda creepy, you know that right?"

"She is just hungry. You do know that children need to eat." the woman commented as she dumped the pieces of fruit into a bowl, and proceeded to mash them.

"I tried to feed her," protested Wonka. "Charlie said that she needs fresh fruits, and that's what I gave her."

"How did you give it?"

"The whole thing," He replied, as if it were an obvious thing to do.

There was the sound of a muffled 'clunk' as the lady set a small bowl on the table. A tiny silver spoon was in her manicured hand and she scooped up a little bit of the mush. Into Feng Huang's mouth it went with a delighted squish.

"Here, now you try." The spoon was handed to him. Wonka gave the lady a look of dismay. "You need to learn how to feed her. I doubt you have the time to come running to my shop every time you need to feed her."

Slowly, Wonka scooped up a large glob of fruit mush and guided it into the gaping maw of the infant. Some of it made it into Feng Huang's mouth, but the rest came sliding down her chin. "Um…ew,"

The spoon was suddenly snatched from his hands and the lady busily scraped the food mush off of Feng Huang's chin. "Just observe then,"

Fifteen minutes later, Wonka watched as the last of the mush was devoured by his little charge. "Heh heh, wow lady, you're good at this."

"Lady?" The woman raised an eyebrow and looked inquisitively at Wonka. Realization entered her eyes and she tittered quite humorously. "Let me introduce myself, I am Count D."

"Count D? Isn't a count a guy?"

"And I am not a woman," finished the _man_. "I'm afraid I don't know who you are."

A pink blush entered Wonka's cheeks and he could feel his embarrassment growing. But he responded to her question with great pride, "Willy Wonka, world's greatest chocolatier!"

Count D held out an elegant hand. Wonka stretched out his own hand, but recoiled slightly, his fingers curled back, and for a moment, all that could be heard was the sound of squeaking latex and Feng Huang's soft snores. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, he clasped hands _very_ briefly with the Count and cast his eyes down to the ground.

Awkward silence once again filled the shop.

Wonka fumbled with something inside of his coat and pushed it in the direction of the Count. "Ah, thank you."

The Count's eyes brightened and he plucked the small packet up. A tiny colorful sphere rolled out into the man's palm and he swirled it around with a pearly white nail. "What is it?"

"Charlie and I are still trying to think up a name, but they're due out on the market in a couple a months," Wonka's face brightened up at the prospect of talking about his and Charlie's new invention. "You take a nice clean pot and put in a mixture of chocolate pudding and chocolate cookie crumbs. Then you stick this little seed in there. In a couple of days a little sprout will show up. And if you keep on putting in new mixtures of pudding and crumbs every four days, in a few weeks, you'll have a little candy plant. The stem and leaves will be the best mint-chocolate fudge, and the flowers will be the most scrumptious flavored candies. But that's not the best part, oh no it isn't!" Wonka paused for dramatic effect. "If you leave the flowers alone for a few more days, they will turn into the most delicious delectable and tasty chocolate berries with a gooey sweet filling inside."

"How do you do that? How does it grow?" the Count asked, staring breathlessly at the little seed in the palm of his hand.

One lilac-gloved finger shook in front of the Count's face and Wonka grinned. "Nuh-uh, that's a secret." The Count seemed to give a little pout, be he ceded gracefully and carefully tucked the tiny seed back into its packet to be slipped into his sleeves.

_Break._

Snow-filled wind whipped into Charlie's face. He could see his class just ahead of him through the flurries of snow. The branch of a snow-covered pine brushed roughly against his coat sleeve and something plopped down in front of him.

It was some sort of stone or rock. Charlie bent over and picked up the small object. Colored in gold and about the size of a chicken egg, Charlie wasn't quite sure of what it was. That was, until he saw where the thing came from. A nest was snug in between the branches deep inside the tree. Two birds, about the same size as large chickens stared back at him from within. Wait…there were more than just two. Dozens more were peering back at him.

"Charlie Bucket!"

Ms. Barnes began trudging towards his direction. Promptly, Charlie left (but not abandoned) his discovery and hurried towards his class which had moved even further away.

"Charlie, might I ask the question of what you were doing back there?" his teacher's eyes bore down on him. Some of the boys in the class had attempted to play hooky at the top of an incline earlier before. Unfortunately for them, the incline was actually the edge of a cliff made of snow. Half and hour was wasted trying to pull them up from the precarious position.

"I'm sorry, Ms Barnes. I just thought I saw some birds in the trees." He said truthfully.

A sigh escaped from Ms. Barnes and she put her hand on Charlie's shoulder as she led him along with the class. "You were probably imagining things, Charlie. The guide says that there are no birds living in these mountains at this time of the year. They've all migrated. You probably were imagining it."

"Maybe," murmured Charlie, he snuck one last look at the tree and hurried on. _'I'll see what those things are later.'_

_Break._

"Wow, we were at that shop for quite a while, weren't we?" Wonka bustled around in the factory kitchen. Feng Huang just stared with her large black eyes as a small pool of drool gathered in front of her.

"You know what?" Wonka held up a small bowl with a grinding stick and examined it curiously. Some Oompa-loompas gave it a glance and shuddered. "This thing looks like the stuff that the Oompa-loompas used to grind up their nasty green caterpillars." The sound of a retch interrupted nearby and Wonka frowned. "I do hope that no caterpillars were pounded up in this."

Pieces of various fruits were dumped into the bowl, and Wonka merrily began mashing everything into a mush.

The Oompa-loompas stared when Wonka began to spoon-feed the little bird that sat on the table. Well, at least he was doing it right this time.

To be continued…

I like babies. I like their smell (when they're clean). I like their looks. I like how they are when you hold them. I like babies. I'm not so sure about Wonka's opinion.

This chapter _is _longer! I do hope Count D's personality will be done alright. I will have to be a little more careful with it in later chapters, as we'll be getting more in his point of view.

If anyone is wondering about how Feng Huang will play into the story as a major character or minor character. I have to say she's about in between, but leaning more towards minor. Don't worry, the main characters will always be just Charlie, Wonka, and Count D.

-Hellfirescythe


	4. Wakeup Calls and Homecoming

Title: Pure of Heart

Author: Hellsfire.scythe

Summary: When Charlie turns eleven years old, 'What more does a boy want than a pet?' thinks Willy Wonka. Their trip to a local pet shop brings more surprises than 'just a pet' as competition begins to rear its ugly head. CatCF/PSoH

Time Setting: This is set a little more than one year after Charlie gets into the factory and a bit after volume ten of Pet Shop of Horrors.

Wow! It's amazing to see how many people actually _looked_ at my story. that certainly brightens up my day. I just hope you all aren't too freaked out by it. Chapter Six is already done, so, no need to worry about a lack of chapters so far. Thank you everyone who has stayed with this story so far, things are about to get interesting.

**Chapter Four: Wake-up Calls and Homecoming**

_January 21, 11:30 pm_

_Note to oneself- End of Day Two of Charlie's trip. One more day to go. NEVER EVER let Charlie wheedle oneself into looking after. . ._

A plaintive wail interrupted his hasty scrawling and Wonka swerved to the direction from which it came. His hair was a little frazzled, his pajamas a little rumpled, and his eyes slightly blood-shot. This was the second night, the second sleepless and torturous night.

It wasn't as if Willy Wonka hadn't ever had any sleepless nights. Usually, however, those were due to all of the inventions and new ideas whizzing around in his head, or because of the experiments he was doing in the 'Inventing Room'. But never, oh never had this happened because of a fussy _child_.

The first night, he had at dismissed the wailing as hunger, and tried to feed the little bugger. Soon enough though, Wonka realized that more food was getting on her blankets and the table than into her mouth.

Some of the Oompa-loompas tried to placate her. Wonka scratched his head as he wondered why in the world they were whistling like birds. It was a new Oompa-loompa lullaby perhaps? But after some time, even the Oompa-loompas shrugged their small shoulders and shook their heads. They had given up.

Here he was now, staring at the rather upset and blotchy baby. _'I do prefer you in the mornings.'_

Wonka glanced around again, a familiar idea pushed its way into his mind and he glanced at his pocket watch. A feeble smile emerged on his face and he gradually made his way towards the source of all of his present problems.

_Break._

The ornate Chinese doors loomed over him like some sort of giant. Wonka almost changed his mind about going in, but that would mean trying to get Feng Huang to sleep while she cried the night away. That is, until the baby had gotten so tired that she just dropped off to sleep, leaving a confused and tired Wonka having to begin a new day. At least she was relatively quiet at the moment; her burbling and drooling was the only thing that broke the silence of the winter night.

"You're really weird, you know that?" Wonka held her up to his face (but not too closely). "Why can't you be this good and quiet at night?" The baby wasn't able to answer. "Next time Charlie goes out, I'm making him take you along." Wonka wrinkled his nose at her in annoyance. Feng Huang just laughed. "Or maybe I'll just leave you in the 'Lickable Wallpaper for Nurseries' Room. I'm sure you'd do fine in there."

"Mr. Wonka, might I ask why you're standing in front of my shop at this hour?"

With a jump of shock, Wonka looked to see Count D's figure blocking the light streaming out of the now-open doorway. The Count's features were obscured in the darkness, but Wonka could clearly hear the amusement in his voice.

"She won't go to sleep." He thrust Feng Huang forward toward the Count.

Wonka flinched as the Count's hand alighted on his shoulder. His long manicured nails barely touched the skin on Wonka's neck and sent cold shivers down the chocolatier's spine. "Come in, I'll see what can be done." The said hand gently guided Wonka into the shop and the doors closed softly behind them.

Two rather exotic looking men swept off the couch as the Count gently pushed Wonka into it. The girl, Pon-chan seemed to prick up eagerly and she stared at him from her small seat. Apprehension crept through Wonka's mind as he felt many eyes all around scrutinizing him with the finest precision.

The Count reentered the sitting room with an ornate pot of some sort filled with…incense. Soon the smell of mountain air, chrysanthemums, and some other foreign scent filled the shop. "This should help in calming her," the Count lounged comfortably across from Wonka. "How did you try putting her to sleep all these other times?"

"Uh, I just left her alone." Wonka squirmed as the Count cast a look full of non-approval towards him. "It always seemed to work for Charlie."

An exasperated look entered the Count's face. There was a rustle of silk and the he rose to his feet. Wonka froze when the Count plucked Feng Huang from the sling. "You are quite inexperienced in many things, aren't you?" The Count held Feng Huang tenderly in his arms. "One does not just _leave_ an infant alone, expecting it to fall asleep. Especially not one so young!"

"Then what was I supposed to do? Hold her?" Wonka pouted. "Heh, no way!" There was a second of silence. "…I don't know how."

"That can be easily taught," The Count stated briskly. "Lean back a little." Wonka did just that. Feng Huang was suddenly plopped down on his chest. The rest of the Count's directions were followed awkwardly. "Support her from underneath. Keep her secure with your hand on her back." In the end, Feng Huang was nestled in Wonka's tense embrace; a purple hanky was placed underneath her head to catch the drool that came out of her mouth.

For a moment or two, Wonka watched as she squirmed in her blankets. Finally, she fell still, and her breathing grew steadier. His body relaxed and he giggled nervously. "Wow! Just…wow! That was pretty easy!" The Count gave him an entrusting smile.

A yawn fought its way out of Wonka's mouth and he snuggled deeper into the plush cushions of the couch. "Mmph, I'm pretty tired myself. Maybe…maybe," His eyelids grew heavier. "I'll just…do the same." His hat tipped to the side and the rest of the tension left his body. The sound of steady breathing filled the room. A sound of protest flew off of the Count's lips but was quickly taken back. Instead a look of approval glimmered softly in his mismatched eyes.

The Count stirred heaps of sugar into a cup of tea and sipped on it quietly as the lights dimmed around them.

_Break._

_He was floating on a cloud covered in a warm heavy blanket. A perfumed wind blew by and he shifted into a more comfortable position._

'Mmm…what a great idea, I could make edible mattresses from the wool of my fluffy pink sheep. It would be just like this,' _Wonka mused as he floated along in the sky._

_Suddenly, something dripped on him. A rain drop? Drip…drip…drip…_

Violet eyes snapped open and Wonka found himself staring into large obsidian ones. Spit dribbled down from an open mouth and onto his neck. "Ew…" Disgust roiled in his stomach but he was unable to move. Feng Huang returned his exclamation with a small cry of her own.

"Good morning, Mr. Wonka."

"Huh? What?" Realization dawned on him when he caught site of silken draperies and a fine tea set. The spit dripping onto his neck was nearly forgotten, just nearly. "This isn't my room."

"You fell asleep in my shop." The Count entered his vision and carefully picked Feng Huang up. "The washroom is down the hall."

Wonka jumped to his feet and ran into the said room. Quickly, he shed his coat and assessed the damage. A patch of the dark plum velvet was darkened with spit. His favorite coat…utterly ruined! Wonka took a towel off of a rack and wiped off as much of the dampness as he could. _'I hope Fred won't mind making another coat for me.'_ Gnawing on his lip, he thought of the Oompa-loompa that did his tailoring. The said being had already just finished fixing up another one of his clothes, and now he had something else to mend.

He noticed, and then felt again, the spit that glistened on his neck. Wonka loosened his collar and turned on the faucet. Warm water was quickly splashed over his face and neck. He would have to change gloves as well today.

As Wonka toweled himself off, he didn't notice as the washroom door opened silently behind him. But he his eyes widened as someone materialized over his shoulder. It was that man-with-goat-horns! Sharp teeth glistened and dove down towards his arm.

A terrified shriek sounded throughout the shop. Wonka tore out of the hallway and hid behind the Count's slim form.

"Is something wrong?"

The goat-man staggered out of the hallway, holding a rapidly growing lump on his head.

Wonka pointed a shaking finger in his direction. "C-c-cannibal. He t-tried to eat me."

"That man hit me!"

"Tsk, tsk, T-chan. You know better than to go around biting my guests!" admonished the Count. He left Feng Huang in Wonka's arms and went to the being's side. "I apologize for my Totetsu. He has a habit of biting strangers."

Wonka held the baby closer and whimpered softly as he nodded. _'What that fudge?'_

"Before you leave, I'll give you this incense," said the Count, holding up the pot. A pleased look entered his eyes as he added, "Just send me some more of those Whipple Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delights. I absolutely _adore_ them."

"They'll be delivered here by noon," Wonka replied weakly, eyes still glued on the Totetsu.

_Break._

"I don't know what possessed you to bite him," sighed Count D as he watched Wonka finally fly away in a glass elevator. The man was truly clumsy at times, but then again, it _was_ made of glass. At least the phoenix wasn't hurt. "Now he's going to think there's a cannibal here."

T-chan sulked on the couch where Wonka had been sitting not but a few minutes ago. He tenderly rubbed his head. "How was I supposed to know he could see us?"

"Well, he did come in that one day…" began D. T-chan waved a hand and snorted.

"He's just really stupid."

D sighed and closed the doors behind him. "It'll be your fault, you know," he pouted. T-chan made a noise of astonishment.

"What will be my fault?"

"If my chocolate supply is scared away."

_Break._

Charlie stared at the birds that sat clucking and cooing outside the kitchens of the lodge. He had got up and cleaned up early, so no one else was about outside… which might be a good thing.

There were the same birds from the first day and after dinner yesterday. He had begun a little ritual after dinner the other night. He'd bring a loaf of bread and carefully feed it to his new 'friends'. They were curious creatures, curious indeed. Charlie laughed as one began pecking at his pant legs.

But now that they were out in the sunlight, Charlie could see them much better. Their black and brown feathers were bordered with white and contrasted greatly with the white snow. Beady black eyes gazed at him and then at the loaf of bread that was in his hands. They were rather more like pheasants, actually.

Carefully, Charlie broke off small pieces from the bread and tossed it out towards the birds. At first, they all scattered, squawking and fluttering in the air. But then, one of the less timid ones landed close to the crumbs and started pecking at it. Before long, the whole flock had joined in and began a feeding frenzy.

The loaf was almost finished when the birds cocked their head up and stopped their feeding. Immediately, they took to the air and disappeared. A few moments later, the sound of the kitchen door opening made Charlie turn.

Ms. Barnes glanced at him curiously. "What are you doing out here, Mr. Bucket?"

"I-I was looking at the scenery, madam," Charlie lied. She had already flatly said that she didn't believe that there were any birds around at all. There was no use in telling her the truth.

"Well, don't wander around, all right? I don't want anyone else to get lost."

The other day, the same group of boys had run away from the class, unnoticed until they hadn't shown up for lunch. After hours of searching, the boys had come dashing towards the lodge, screaming about ice monsters, and barely escaping. Ms. Barnes bought none of it and ordered the boys to kitchen duty. It meant they had to mop up the mess hall's floors, scrub the tables, and wash the dishes after breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the rest of the trip.

"Yes, madam," promised Charlie, holding the remainder of the bread loaf behind him.

"You're a nice child, Charlie Bucket. Now let's get inside so everyone can eat their breakfast." Ms. Barnes ushered Charlie back into the lodge.

_Break._

The bus stopped in front of the school, and Charlie came out with the rest of the stream of children. His bags were unloaded and then strapped to his back, his goodbyes were said and done, and he had told Ms. Barnes he was walking back to the factory.

As he trudged through the snow-covered sidewalks, a gaunt looking man stepped out of an alleyway in front of him.

"You're Charlie Bucket, am I correct?"

"Yes, sir," Charlie nodded. A flock of birds cast strange shadows over the man's face.

"It's quite the pleasure and honor to meet the future heir of the Wonka Chocolate Factory." The man grinned, showing off a mouthful of rotten teeth. Charlie hid his distaste. "I'm Sean Slugworth, of Slugworth Candy Industries, and I was wondering if I could make a proposition."

"I'm sorry, sir. But I'm not in any position to accept any sort of proposition. I think you should go to Mr. Wonka and talk to him," Charlie replied. _'Not that Mr. Wonka would even talk to you.'_

Slugworth grinned and placed a hand on Charlie's shoulder. "But I think you might be able to work with this one, Mr. Bucket." Charlie shuddered and held his breath, for the man's was utterly revolting. "I think we can work out a very nice deal." Charlie made to interrupt, but was stopped. "I wish for you to tell me all of Wonka's new inventions, in return, I can give you anything you want, little boy. How would you like a video game? A large house? A dog? Anything boy, all you have to do is to tell me."

Charlie pushed Slugworth's hand off of his shoulder. The man frowned. "I'm sorry, sir, but I won't do anything like that. I already have all the fun I need. My home is the best in the world, and I have a pet that is better than any dog."

"There are other things…"

"No!" exclaimed Charlie. He backed up a few paces, turned around and began running towards the factory as fast as his legs could carry him.

Wonka was waiting for him behind the gates. Once inside, Charlie flung himself around the chocolatier's waist and breathed in the scent of cinnamon, mint, and melted chocolate.

"Whoa there, little Charlie! I missed you too!" gasped Wonka. "Squeezing a bit too hard there, Charlie."

Embarrassment went up like a flame in Charlie's cheeks, and he quickly let go. Wonka bent over so that they saw eye-to-eye. "Now tell me all about your trip!" Childish glee sparkled in his purple eyes.

"Well, Mr. Wonka. I saw these…" There was a clucking noise and then a fluttering sound. Dozens of large pheasant-like birds landed in front of the chocolate factory.

"Chruffles!" squealed Wonka in delight. The man was dancing around on his toes and clapping excitedly.

"You know what they are?" Charlie asked, turning towards his mentor.

"Of course I know what they are, you silly goose!" Wonka walked carefully around the flock, grinning in glee. "They're Chruffles. You're such a lucky duck, you Charlie! To find a whole flock and bring them back."

"But―"

"You know, usually, in the spring, you _never_ see them at all. You have to go panning for their eggs, because their nests are usually near mountain streams." Wonka explained, interrupting all of Charlie's comments. "I remember finding my first Chruffle."

A dreamy look entered Wonka's eyes, and Charlie stayed silent. It seemed that the man had entered on of his Flashbacks again. A minute later those violet eyes blinked again and a sad smile entered his face. "I lost my first Chruffle. One of those sly sneaky spies stole it from my factory. I never saw it again. But, none of their eggs ever entered the market, so I guess it died. Of course none of those other candy-makers would understand how to take care of a Chruffle!"

"Mr. Wonka," Charlie called out. The man snapped out of his reverie and glanced towards him curiously. "What are their eggs used for? Don't they hatch out chicks?"

Wonka giggled and pointed to the flock. "See Charlie? Most of these Chruffles are female, and there's only one male in this group. The only time their eggs are white and hatch out chicks are in the summer. During any other time, their eggs are a pretty gold-colored candy shell, and on the inside are whipped chocolate, or toffee, or cream, or caramel!" He whipped around and looked at Charlie. "You're brilliant! How did you do it?"

The man's enthusiasm was contagious and Charlie found himself smiling back. "I found them on the first day, and fed them bread after breakfast, lunch, and dinner."

"So they must have taken a shining on you, little Charlie!" Wonka rubbed his gloved hands together quickly, the sound of squeaking latex filling the air.

"By the way, Mr. Wonka, where's Feng Huang?" asked Charlie.

"Huh?" Wonka pointed at a sling that Charlie just noticed around the chocolatier's body. "She's right here."

Charlie carefully reached inside the sling and picked up the little bird. Well, actually, she had grown a bit while he was gone. "Look at her feathers, Mr. Wonka! There are a lot more now!"

Wonka gave him a strange look and then looked at Feng Huang. "Heh, yeah! Wow!"

"So how was she while I was gone?"

"Hey, Charlie! Guess what new idea I've thought up!"

"But Mr.―"

"You know that candy plant that we've got going? Well, why not candy trees? You know we can make Fir Trees! The needles can be mint candy, the branches can be candy cane, and the pine cones…" Wonka tittered. "The pine cones are Hair Toffee! Get it? _Fur_ Trees?"

"Yes, that's a great idea, Mr. Wonka. But what about―"

"And Sugar Maples? Their branches and the trunk can be marzipan, the leaves can be spun sugar, and the sap can be liquid candy!"

_To be continued. . ._

So Charlie is back, but what about Slugworth's offer? What is Wonka going to do about that problem?

**Chapter Five Preview:** Strange things are starting to happen around the small town that is home to Wonka's Chocolate Factory, and those strange things capture unwanted attention from surprising sources. But Willy Wonka has more pressing issues on his mind: Charlie's dentist appointment.

I've been seeing a lot of questions about Count D and the 'Pet Shop of Horrors'. To remedy for some of that, I've posted a little synopsis of the manga series on chapter one. For more detailed information, one should go read Pet Shop of Horrors for themselves. It's a little complicated to explain. But I hope all of you are living alright with this so far.

Ta!

-_Hellsfire.scythe_


	5. Howweird

Title: Pure of Heart

Author: Hellsfire.scythe

Chapter: 5?

Chapter Summary: Count D's business gets some customers, but is that really a good thing? The dentist appointment has arrived and strange going-ons are happening in the factory.

Summary: When Charlie turns eleven years old, 'What more does a boy want than a pet?' thinks Willy Wonka. Their trip to a local pet shop brings more surprises than 'just a pet'. CatCF/PSoH

**Chapter Five: How…Weird**

"Ma ma! Ma ma! Kan Gong Jue D gei wo de gou! Wo ke yi yao ma? Ke yi ma?"

A Chinese woman looked from the small chitzu puppy in the pet shop owner's hands, to her young daughter's expectant face. "Ni yao hao hao de guan zhe ta, Xiao Gang. Hao me?"

"Tai bang le!" squealed the girl, she hugged her mother gleefully. "Xie xie ma ma!" Then she turned to the pet shop owner. "Duo xie Gong Jue D!"

The man gave a small respectful bow and smiled enchantingly. "Bu ke qi."

_Break._

"The business is going well today, isn't it?" Count D relaxed gracefully on his couch. There was a box of homemade moon cakes resting on his lap which he eyed keenly.

"Yeah, you sold two dogs and three goldfish. Big deal," snorted T-chan, sitting across from him. "This whole time in this little town, you've only sold two of us that needed a contract."

"One of which that ended up in quite the bloody mess," crooned a striking male as he replaced the box on Count D's lap.

"I only sell love and dreams. I had no idea that Ms. Talaway's would produce such carnage," replied Count D, sipping slowly at his cup of green tea as he glanced at the newspaper. "Her husband and his lover, mauled to death by some sort of creature. Ms. Talaway dead at the scene as well, with a single shot to her head. She shot Yuri-chan as well, it seems." His grip tightened on the small cup briefly and a hard look flashed through his eyes before fading into a silent frown.

"What's with the face?" grinned T-chan. "No Detective Orcot to come barging through your doors and demanding answers anymore?"

The expression on Count D's face was blank and he stared levelly at the Totetsu. "That's quite enough." T-chan flinched at the hard edge that the Count's voice took on and he went silent. Uncomfortable with the tension that had built up in the room; the being that had once occupied Count D's lap crept back into the depths of the shop.

A tinkling of bells dispelled the silence that had grown all around. Count D stood up from his seat and walked closer to the doorway. A tiny smile graced his face as he watched the boy who had entered, and was now kneeling on the ground. "Welcome back, Charlie. Are you here for more incense?"

"Yes, sir, I suppose you've been expecting me," Charlie smiled as he looked up from petting a small cat.

"You have been visiting quite regularly for it for two weeks," replied Count D with a note of amusement to his voice. He picked up a small bag from the table and handed it to the boy.

Charlie took it from him eagerly and put it in a book-bag. "By the way, sir, Mr. Wonka asked of how your Coco Cream Berry plant is doing."

Count D raised an eyebrow and glanced to the large pot that sat on his coffee table. The plant had indeed grown just as Wonka had said it would and was a foot tall. Small buds had begun forming at the tips of the branches. "It's doing very well. Tell Mr. Wonka that the leaves are quite delectable."

"I'll be sure to do that, sir." Charlie reached into his jacket and pulled out a thin bar of chocolate. "This is for the plant. Mr. Wonka says that it will act like a sort of fertilizer for it."

"Then I must thank him once again," Count D murmured as he took the bar. Charlie nodded and headed towards the door. "Payment is the same as usual."

"I'll make sure he sends it over then!" Charlie called back with a wave.

_Break._

"What does that one taste like, Charlie? Toffee? Caramel? Banana Crème Pie?" Wonka stared at Charlie, purple eyes sparkling in excitement.

Charlie looked down at the golden egg that had a rather large bite taken out of it and chewed experimentally. The candy shell crunched satisfyingly and Charlie shuddered in joy as the new taste exploded over his taste buds. Quickly, he swallowed and showed Wonka a sticky grin. "It's lemon meringue!"

A Chruffle clucked impatiently and pecked at Wonka's notebook. "Hey! That's _my_ notebook. Go get your own!" At that, Wonka snatched the book up and began jotting down more notes relating to the Chruffle eggs. Charlie stifled a giggle. "So, Charlie, what shall we be calling these little guys?" One of the Chruffle's golden eggs was held up closely to Wonka's eye.

"How about 'Golden Surprises'?" suggested Charlie.

Wonka shook his head, "Nah, already have Nutty Crunch Surprise. We need something new…and catchy, too!"

The sound of ruffling feathers and loud squawking made the duo turn towards the door. An Oompa-loompa pushed his way past Chruffles that were exactly his size. Somehow, he managed to squeeze his way through the whole flock and arrived in front of Wonka.

"Why hello today," Wonka wriggled his fingers and the sound of rubber squeaking was barely heard over the sounds of the Chruffles. The Oompa-loompa nodded and swiftly held up a small note card. Charlie looked as Wonka's expression changed from excitement to dismay.

"What is it, Mr. Wonka?" asked Charlie. The chocolatier grimaced as he wordlessly handed the card over to his protégé.

_Things Mr. Wonka has forgotten to-day, Feb. 25:_

_-To floss_

_-Willy Wonka and Charlie Bucket are due for a dentist appointment at Dr. Wilbur Wonka's office at 2 o'clock in the afternoon to-day._

The pocket watch was whipped out of Wonka's coat and Charlie's eyes widened at the time. "It's already 2 o'clock!"

An almost crash later, they exited the 'Chruffle Room' and the Great Glass Elevator shot up into the winter sky.

Charlie watched as the snow rushed past the glass elevator. The sound of the wind and the pattering of snow splattering against the glass was all the noise that was heard. But soon, Charlie could hear another noise joining in. It was the sound of latex squeaking against itself.

"Don't worry, Mr. Wonka. It'll be fine. You've already been to your father's office four times before." Charlie patted Wonka's arm reassuringly, but the man didn't stop wringing his hands.

"But Charlie," Wonka whined, looking pleadingly towards Charlie's direction. "Three of those times I was just there to _wait_ for you. This time, _I_ have an appointment, too."

"Mr. Wonka, your teeth are always perfectly fine." Charlie cocked his head slightly as he waited for his mentor to respond.

"Uh-uh! Not according to my father," Wonka replied. He drew himself up and mimicked one of Dr. Wonka's stern expressions, "You never know, Willy. But there are plenty of germs in the human mouth that can cause all sorts of problems, especially since you don't floss. Who knows if there are some problems beneath your gums?"

Charlie tried and failed to suppress a giggle. "That's why you made the no-floss candy chews."

"Exactly!" Wonka crowed. "See Charlie? You understand. I always knew you would, being my heir and all." Suddenly, Wonka shut his mouth and his lips tightened into a line.

Over a ridge sat Dr. Wilbur Wonka's house, looking as dismal as dentist offices usually do. Charlie firmed his grip on Wonka's wrist as the elevator doors chimed open and as they trudged towards their destination.

_Break._

"You're late again," Wilbur Wonka's commanding voice boomed from the second floor. Wonka gulped and smiled weakly as his father walked briskly down the stairs. The sound of latex doubled at Willy Wonka's hand wringing, and Dr. Wonka snapping on his gloves.

"We were a little caught up, you know…with business." The chocolatier managed to reply as his eyes flickered from the floor to his father.

"Next time, keep your eyes on the clock while you're doing business. I suppose you can manage that?" Dr. Wonka said as he ushered Charlie into the dentist chair. Wonka automatically sat down in the waiting chair a few feet away and nodded meekly. "There's no way of changing you being late, so stop moping." Dr. Wonka looked up from gathering his tools, "And take off that hat, this is indoors, _not_ some sort of circus."

"Okay…sure." squeaked Wonka. Shakily he removed his precious top hat and clutched it to his chest.

His heart lightened just a smidgen as Charlie smiled at him encouragingly. _'Yeah, I'll be okay…'_ he caught sight of the wicked looking hook tool in his father's hand and moaned softly, _'No I won't!'_

"Now, open up your mouth Charlie. Let's see how your braces are progressing," murmured Dr. Wonka as he lowered the back of the dentist chair slowly.

The room wavered and dissolved, now it was little Willy Wonka sitting in that chair.

"_Hold still, Willy." Dr. Wonka commanded the squirming five year-old. "For heaven's sake, I have three year-olds that act more mature than you do." He put a restraining hand on Willy's arm. "Hold still. Do you understand?"_

_Little Willy looked up and met his father's eyes. "Will it hurt?"_

"_You ask this every time. Not if you stop moving around like this." _

"_It hurt last time."_

"_That's because you don't floss."_

_The boy's movements stilled, but his dark eyes darted around nervously as his father skillfully removed the orthodontics head gear. Like great vultures, the cold metal tools descended downwards. Willy's eyes squeezed shut and he opened his mouth._

_Half an hour later, Willy emerged from the dentist's chair. He ran to the washroom and stood on tip-toe to reach the sink. He spat. Saliva and blood oozed down the drain. It hurt. He could still feel the floss sliding roughly between his teeth and gums._

"_You haven't been flossing, Willy." Dr. Wonka's voice coldly echoed in the little boy's mind._

"Huh? What?" started Wonka as someone tapped him on the shoulder. "Oh, Charlie, it's you."

"It's your turn now." Charlie whispered. Wonka felt Charlie's little hand in his own and the boy pulled him up. Cautiously and gradually, Wonka lowered himself into the dentist chair. Dr. Wonka pulled up beside him and put a heavy sort of apron over the chocolatier's shoulders and torso.

A gasp emerged from Wonka's throat as the heavy weight settled over his body. "W-w-what's this for?" He poked and prodded the thing from underneath. It was dismal and a rather gross looking green, like the rest of the room. Something cold moved uncomfortably close to his cheek.

Dr. Wonka appeared back in front of him holding some sort of plastic chip in a pair of plier-like tongs. "Open your mouth."

"Wait! What are you doing?" Wonka exclaimed, he uneasily eyed the machinery that surrounded him and then at the tool in Dr. Wonka's hand. "Where'd Charlie go?" The boy was no where to be seen. "Charlie? Little boy? Charlie?"

"I sent him to the sitting room. It will be safer for him there," Dr. Wonka interrupted. He thrust the chip and tool closer to Wonka's face. "Now open."

Wonka's eyes widened considerably. "Safer! What are you going to do?"

Dark eyes bore down on Wonka and he felt as if his insides were shriveling. He cowered back into the chair and winced, waiting for the tirade to come…but it didn't. The thing was moved away from his cheek and Dr. Wonka's hand slowly pulled back. It was after a heavy sigh that Wonka dared to look back at his father.

"I forgot that you haven't been to a dentist for years," There was a slight sound of displeasure in Dr. Wonka's voice. "This, Willy, is an X-ray machine." He pointed with a gloved finger at the thing that had once been touching Wonka's cheek. "It will take a detailed picture of your teeth so I can see what sort of damage there is."

"Will it hurt?" Wonka blurted out. The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"After all these years, you still ask me that."

The floor suddenly seemed to look very interesting. Finally, after a while he replied. "It always has before."

"This time, it won't hurt one bit." Dr. Wonka replied, in a surprisingly reassuring tone. Wonka looked up into his father's eyes and offered one tiny, consenting smile.

_Break._

"There's a rather unsavory man standing in the sitting room." Femto-kun's lilted from on top of a cabinet, his tail curled back over copper-toned skin.

Count D glanced upwards and beamed at the Egyptian feline. Femto-kun face-faulted and steadily backed away out of the room, only to be knocked back in as T-chan raced into the room.

"Can I eat him? Please?" T-chan grinned voraciously and showed off his razor-sharp teeth. Two other beings joined him, wearing replica expressions. "It's been so long since I've been able to eat anything that tastes remotely like human flesh. Just a couple bites." Count D remained silent as he toweled off his hands.

"Perhaps you'll get your chance, sometime later." Count D murmured as he glided out of the room.

"Ah, there you are, Count D. I was worried that you weren't here."

A man wearing a black trench coat and hat stood near the coffee table. His glasses flashed as the light passed over them. _'Unsavory man, undeniably.'_ Count D smoothed out imaginary wrinkles in his cheongsam and walked closer to the customer. "Welcome to Count D's Pet Shop. We carry ordinary pets like cats and dogs, to rare exotic animals. What would you be…" The man turned around with candy plant in hand. "Please, I would rather not to have anyone―"

"Where did you get this from?" interrupted the man.

"I received it from a previous customer of the shop." Count D squared his shoulders and allowed a rather calm and rather fake smile to cover his feelings of disdain. "It's rather impolite to handle other people's items."

Hurriedly, the man set the pot back down on the table and brushed his hands. "I apologize, Count D. I am Mark Ficklegruber, owner of Ficklegruber's Ice Cream."

"What would an Ice Cream maker want with a pet?"

"You could ask the same about Willy Wonka. What was he doing buying a pet?"

Count D hid his surprise and kneeled smoothly near the table. His hand gracefully ran his finger over the blade of one of the fudge-mint leaves of the plant. "Whoever said that Willy Wonka was in this pet shop?" his lips curled up into a charming smirk.

"He is the only man that can accomplish something like this, though Slugworth would kill me for saying it and I don't like it much myself." Ficklegruber muttered, envy darkened the man's eyes and Count D found his own curiosity peaked. "Look, Chinaman. Is this Willy Wonka's creation?"

"And if it is made by him?"

Ficklegruber stared for a moment at Count D and grinned. "How much do you want for it? I'll pay anything!" There was no reply. "I'll give you five hundred…no five thousand! Anything!" Still no reply.

Carefully, the plant was cradled in Count D's arms and he breathed in its refreshing scent. "I'm sorry, but this is not for sale." His smile remained the same when T-chan growled threateningly at the man. "Now…let's get to business. What sort of pet are you looking for?"

"Well, it would have to suit my requirements…"

"That can be quiet easily met, Mr. Ficklegruber."

Fifteen minutes later, the Count watched as Mark Ficklegruber exited the shop carrying a large cage covered with a black velvet cloth. Count D's finely manicured hands slid away from the doorway and the doors closed shut behind him.

Pon-chan wriggled into Count D's lap as he settled down into his chair. "Was it a good idea to give him Vene-chan?"

"I fear that it wasn't."

_Break._

"Don't touch that!" Wonka rapidly walked over to the side of the chocolate river and plucked up the sticky toddler. Was it normal for babies to grow so…quickly? It had been two months since Charlie's birthday and over two weeks since the appointment with Dr. Wonka. Somehow her blankets were replaced by a silk tunic and pants. Rubies and diamonds that decorated her hair and clothing sparkled in the artificial sunlight.

"Oh, thank you Mr. Wonka! I didn't know she was missing." Charlie cried as he rushed out of the Bucket home. He took Feng Huang into his arms.

"It's a good thing I found her. Or else we might have had Chocolate Babies instead of Chocolate Birds." Wonka laughed unconvincingly.

"Chocolate Babies?" Charlie's expression grew worried and confused. "Are you alright, Mr. Wonka. You have been acting…stranger ever since that visit to the pet shop."

"Uh…what? Oh, fiddle-sticks. It was just a slip of the tongue, Charlie. Must have been that tongue-numbing candy I'm developing." Wonka fibbed.

Something tugged on the tails of Wonka's coat and he looked down. An Oompa-loompa stared up back him. "Yes? What's going on?" he bent down to let the being whisper in his ear. "Fudgmuffins! The Marshmallow Fluffing Machine has been jammed? How in the world could that have happened?" The Oompa-loompa shrugged. Wonka turned to Charlie and waved him over.

"But the marshmallow fluff always jams things, Mr. Wonka." commented Charlie as Feng Huang shrieked joyfully and ran into the house at the sight of Mrs. Bucket's bowl of diced fruit.

Wonka shook his head fiercely and his hair swished around just as quick. "Nu-uh Charlie, not the Marshmallow Fluffing Machine. That I designed so it won't ever jam because of the marshmallows." Quickly Wonka strode over to the glass elevator. Charlie managed to catch Wonka this time before he hit the ground and the two ended up sprawled on the candy-grass.

"Oh, my dear Charlie, I'm so sorry!" Wonka quickly pulled up his heir. "Now lets not dilly or dally. We have something to look into!"

The rest of the week went on like that. Something went wrong where it never should have. Pieces went missing to machines, chocolate birds disappeared without a peep, and there were whispers among the Oompa-loompas about a great monster in the factory. Wonka spent days puzzling over the situation with no results. But one thing was for certain: something really weird was going on in _his_ factory, and he was determined to stop it.

_To be continued..._

Translations:

Ma ma! Ma ma! Kan Gong Jue D gei wo de gou! Wo ke yi yao ma? Ke yi ma? Mom! Mom! Look what Count D gave to me! May I have it? May I?

Ni yao hao hao de guan zhe ta, Xiao Gang. Hao me? You have to look after it nicely, Xiao Gang. Okay?

Tai bang le! Too good!

Xie xie ma ma! Thank you mom!

Duo xie Gong Jue D! Thank you Count D!

Bu ke qi. You're welcome

Dear me...something is going wrong. Wonder what? 'grins'

Ohh...wow, this fic has been looked at so many times! That really makes me happy. Reviews make me happy to 'winks', it also lets me know if you're enjoying it so far or not.. So drop me a line some time! I would greatly appreciate it!

-Hellsfire.scythe


	6. Monster of the Chocolate Factory

1Title: Pure of Heart  
Author: Hellsfire.scythe  
Chapter: 6?  
Chapter Summary: The problems just get worse and worse. Suddenly Charlie finds himself almost caught in one. That definitely doesn't make Wonka happy. Not happy at all.  
Summary: When Charlie turns eleven years old, 'What more does a boy want than a pet?' thinks Willy Wonka. Their trip to a local pet shop brings more surprises than 'just a pet' as competition begins to rear its ugly head. CatCF/PSoH

**Chapter Six: Monster of the Chocolate Factory**

"I really don't know what's happening! I've been running this factory for years and nothing like this has ever happened!" Wonka glanced at the list again to make sure he was seeing things right. "I mean, how…how can this be happening?" The list crackled as Wonka waved it about in the air. He jumped from his seat and paced frantically in front of the desk of the Administration Office. "Doris, you have to have made a mistake! A mistake, right? These things can't possibly be happening in _my_ factory."

The said Oompa-loompa gave him a grave expression and shook her head as if saying 'I _never_ make mistakes.' Carefully, she straightened her pink shawl and sighed. Another sheaf of paper inched out of the printer and she handed it to the chocolatier.

"No…no! If this isn't a mistake…" Wonka stopped his pacing and plopped back down to the floor as he compared the old list to the newest one. Doris looked up from her typing and watched as Wonka reached into his coat and pulled out a dozen more papers. He arranged them from oldest to newest. Each one was slightly longer than the one before, the lists kept on growing and growing. There was one from last month, one from a few days later, another from a fortnight ago, another from last week, etc. "Y-you're, no, this is a joke…a joke then!" Wonka let out an overexcited titter. "So am I right? A joke?" his voice grew softer and less hopeful as Doris didn't answer.

Wonka's hands dropped slowly down to his sides and his jaw trembled as his gaze traveled from one list to the other. "It's not possible."

"Mr. Wonka? I just finished fixing the fudge boiler." Charlie stepped out of the Great Glass Elevator. "Something bent one of pipes and the fudge overflowed. I helped to replace the pipe and the Oompa-loompas are cleaning up the mess." The boy stopped when he saw Wonka's slouched form. "Mr. Wonka? Is everything alright?"

"Heh, hello Charlie," Wonka stood and attempted to grin. "You have some fudge on your cheek." He passed a gloved finger over the smear of fudge and brought it to his lips. "Well, at least the chocolate is still good." An unnerving giggle startled the nearby Oompa-loompa secretaries.  
"What's wrong? Has something happened again?" Charlie pressed further. Wonka's mouth moved silently as if he were uncertain about something before coming together into a thin line.

Instead, the chocolatier's head shook violently. "No, nothing at all, my dear boy, nothing at all is wrong."

The sound of small and quick footsteps caused the two humans to turn. An Oompa-loompa half-dressed in an orange jumpsuit and his tribal clothing rushed into the room. Wonka's troubled look re-entered his face and he kneeled down to let the Oompa-loompa whisper in his ear. Charlie looked on in concern as Wonka's expression grew more hardened and upset.

"I'm going to have to be going, Charlie. Ask Doris if there's anything else to be fixed." Wonka stood up and entered the glass elevator with only a stumble.

"But Mr. Wonka?"

"Stay here, Charlie."

Charlie drew back as the elevator hurtled away. The shakiness of Wonka's voice was frightening. When had Wonka ever been so, so scared?

Doris gathered up the papers on her desk and handed them to Charlie. He took the newest list and looked down at it. It had all the problems from day one when everything had started going wrong.

_List of Things Gone Wrong Since March 11th to April 11th: _

-Marshmallow Fluffing Machine jammed  
-15 Chocolate Birds disappeared, 5 eggs as well  
-Candy-wool sheep missing  
-Spill in the mixing room  
-Chocolate Milking Cow fallen ill

The list just went on and on…Charlie skimmed quickly over them all and stared at the latest problems.

_-Chocolate Milking Cow died  
-Fudge Boiler broken  
-One box of Wonka's Scrumdidilyumptios examined by Health Inspectors in a store found to have contaminants (animal excretory). Whole batch is to be withdrawn from the market to be tested.  
-Complaints filed from Health Officials for factory to close down until all problems have been dealt with by Mr. Willy Wonka_

The papers dropped from Charlie's hands and fluttered to the ground like large streamers. "Close the factory?" the words came out in a shocked whisper. He whipped around to protest, but remembered that Wonka had already left. Charlie was interrupted by a tug on his pant leg. Wordlessly, Doris gave the papers back to him and then pointed him to the office's garbage chute.

A forced smile appeared and Charlie nodded. "Good idea." It would temporarily get rid of their problems.

_Break._

Wonka fell to his knees on the lush candy-grass carpet of the 'Chocolate Forest Room'. A ring of Oompa-loompas, some dressed in their tribal clothing, some wearing jumpsuits, and some wearing down-sized human clothing, surrounded him. All of their expressions mirrored Wonka's perfectly. Mournful sadness and shock was frozen on the man's pale face.

In the center of all this attention was the easily recognizable body of an Oompa-loompa. Wonka remembered this one appearing quite frequently in the 'Buttergin and Butterscotch Room', the loudest and most rambunctious one of them all. His body was now a palette of different colors from all of the bruises on his body instead of a dark copper tone. There were limbs were sticking in odd positions, his chest was caved in, two holes the size of nails were punctured in his neck. Worst of all was the expression of pain and fear in the small swollen face.

"Death by poison or suffocation." That's what the Oompa-loompa doctor had said. Wonka placed a gloved hand over his mouth. A tear welled out of his eye and spilled over his cheek. _'This has never happened in the factory before…' _There was always experiments-gone-wrong in the factory. But none of them had ever resulted in death. Sure the odd blueberry or hair-ball or balloon every now and then. But never, never, never death.

The body was respectfully borne away in a litter by some of the male Oompa-loompas, followed quietly by the rest of the women and children.

Funeral ceremonies by the Oompa-loompas were never long or fancy. The dead one was buried deep into the ground of the 'Chocolate Forest Room'. A song was sung about his life. There were, however, no mischievous voices or silly songs this time. Wonka sat at the edges of the crowd. His hands were clasped tightly together and his hat rested in the crook of his arms as he listened and watched the ceremony.

Death was such a horrible thing, was it not? So horrible… so haunting.

_"Here we lie to rest a beloved wife and mother: Mrs. Jane Scott Wonka." rang the preacher's voice. _

"Father? Why are they putting mom in the ground? Make her wake up!"

Rain fell like a grey sheet across the town, as if the sky was mourning for life lost. Little Willy Wonka, no more than five years old, tugged at his father's sleeve.

"Death came too early in her young life and we pray to the Lord in Heaven that he will keep her well."  
"Dad?"

There was no response and father remained silent beneath the black umbrella.

The casket lowered slowly into the gaping hole in the earth. A chilling feeling seemed to appear in Willy's stomach. Why wasn't mom waking up? Everyone's crying. Why?

"Momma! Momma come back! Wake up!" Willy flung himself towards the edge of the pit as the casket came to a rest at the bottom. No more voices, only the sound of rain.

"Momma? Please?"

A tug on his coat sleeve made Wonka to flinch and emerge from his thoughts. "Huh? Wha?" The Oompa-loompa chief stood before him. Wonka looked around and saw with mild surprise that all the others had left.

The chieftain gave Wonka a respectful bow of his head and pounded his arms across his chest. With a grateful expression, Wonka returned the gesture. Dark eyes regarded Wonka thoughtfully before the Oompa-loompa turned and disappeared into the candy foliage...

He had never thought of the funeral for many years. In fact, Wonka had nearly made himself forget about it. The trip to Charlie's home on the elevator was somber and silent as Wonka filtered through the thoughts in his mind.

The elevator came to a stop in the Chocolate Room and he shook the thoughts away and crammed them into a corner of his mind. The sight of that familiar little house surrounded by Candy-cane trees and sugary sweets lightened Wonka's heart considerably. Quickly, he wiped his face with a handkerchief one last time and made a cheerful smile return to his face before exiting the elevator. No use to have Charlie seeing him in a wreck, was there?

_Break._

"Mr. Wonka, you're awfully quiet today." Charlie edged a little closer to the man prostrated on a candy hill. With a chirp, Feng Huang fluttered after him, her brilliant red and gold plumage gleaming in the light.

"Huh? Did you say something, Charlie?" Wonka lifted himself into a sitting position and tilted his head as Charlie made himself comfortable next to the chocolatier. "Gosh, isn't she heavy?" Feng Huang trilled something that sounded like a protest from Charlie's lap.

Charlie laughed and ran his fingers through her soft feathers. He stopped and looked at the strange expression on Wonka's face. "Mr. Wonka, are you sure you're doing alright? Mum says you haven't been sleeping for days."

"And how would your mother know that, Charlie?" Wonka said with a note of annoyance in his voice. A pout formed on the man's face and he crossed velvet-sleeved arms.

"She saw you every night for the past week walking around the Chocolate Room." Charlie placed a hand on Wonka's arm and felt emboldened when the man didn't tense. "What's wrong? What happened after you left with the Oompa-loompa?"

Wonka's breathing hitched and his purple eyes darted around as if looking for something else to change the subject to.

As if sensing what Charlie was about to do next, Feng Huang hopped off of his lap and settled down to peck at the candy grass. The boy got to his feet and kneeled next to Wonka so that they were eye to eye. "I know something else happened, Mr. Wonka. I read the lists too. The whole factory seems to have come to a stop. What's going on?"

It seemed like Wonka wasn't going to answer and Charlie felt a twinge of sadness in his chest. "Please Mr. Wonka. Don't keep secrets from me." The man bowed his head and his eyes were hidden by the brim of his hat.

Silence stretched for what felt like an eternity.

"Do you believe in monsters, Charlie?"

Charlie's face filled with confusion and he nodded slowly. Anything was possible if Wonka was involved. He was the man who invented ice cream that never melted. He was the man that built a palace entirely out of chocolate. Most of all, he was a man that made one little boy the happiest person in the world.

"Something killed one of the Oompa-loompas today."

"One of the Oompa-loompas is dead?" It was almost too unthinkable to be true. A death in Wonka's Chocolate Factory?

Wonka nodded dazedly. "The Oompa-loompas have been saying it's a monster of some sort." Charlie started when Wonka's eyes met his own again. "A monster in my factory?" Another one of Wonka's giggles pieced the air. "But then, everything that's been going wrong…"

"It can't be a coincidence can it?" Charlie finished. "Animal excretory in the chocolates," Wonka flinched at the mentioned problem. "The Chocolate Milking Cow dying of poison, all of the things disappearing, and then this, happening in just one month."

"Yeah…Yeah!" Wonka's expression brightened in some sort of realization. "All of these things happening can't be some sort of coincidence." Something sparked in Wonka's eyes. "Someone's trying to sabotage my factory."

"Sabotage?"  
"Yes, those dirty sliming scheming rats are trying to ruin my factory. Again!" Wonka punched the palm of his hand with a rubbery slap. "Well, I won't let them. My factory can't be closed down, nuh-uh, it can't!"

"Are you sure, Mr. Wonka? Sabotage?"

Before Wonka could answer, Feng Huang let out a harsh screech. Charlie suddenly found himself being hauled to his feet and dragged backwards by Wonka's firm grip. He struggled to regain his ground and stumbled as a gloved hand shoved him behind Wonka's velvet-clad form.

Charlie peeked his head out from behind Wonka's arm and his eyes widened in fright. Rearing up nearly three feet from the ground where Charlie and Wonka had sat moments ago, an emerald-colored green snake dashed with black streaks hissed menacingly. Fluently, its body began slithering towards them hissing and spitting.

"G-get away!" Wonka waved his candy-filled cane at the approaching snake. "Yes, I _do_ care if you want to eat Charlie. He's _my_ heir. Not your dinner!"

The snake paused in its course and seemed to regard Wonka with a humorous gleam in its eyes as it hissed slowly. Charlie looked around quickly, his eyes searching desperately to make sure Feng Huang was safely away. She was nowhere to be seen.

"Now you look here." Wonka's grip on Charlie's arm tightened for a fleeting moment before pushing him away. "Run, Charlie! Run!" Charlie watched in horror as Wonka brought his cane down toward the snake's head. In lightning speed, it snapped its jaws around the cane and jerked it out of Wonka's hand. The cane dropped to the ground, two holes in the outer casing that looked as if they were burnt away by acid. It turned its attention away from Wonka and launched itself towards Charlie, mouth wide open.

A flurry of scarlet and green filled Charlie's world and he staggered backwards. He barely noticed as Wonka caught him in warm protecting arms. Charlie's eyes were glued on the scene before him in morbid fascination.

Drops of blood began appearing in the bright-green candy grass. Small red feathers floated down to join them. Scarlet-gold with emerald-black thrashed and melded into blurs. Angry hissing and shrill trilling filled Charlie's ears. Shouts filled the air as the Bucket family began rushing out of their little house. Oompa-loompas stopped their work and pointed wildly at the rapidly escalating crisis. Charlie felt Wonka's arms wrap around him tighter.

Moments later with a dull thud, emerald-black slashed now with bright red, collapsed onto the ground. Feng Huang landed on the corpse, her feathers darkened with blood and her body shivering uncontrollably, yet somehow, she still looked triumphant.

"Charlie!"  
The comforting body that Charlie had been leaning against seemed to disappear and he felt himself fall into the eager and relieved arms of his mother and father.

"Thank goodness, Charlie."

"Are you hurt?"

"What happened?"

An Oompa-loompa interrupted the reunion and lifted Feng Huang, who was wrapped up in a towel. Charlie looked up from the phoenix and spotted Wonka standing a further distance away. The boy wasn't sure what Wonka seemed more repulsed by, the bloody snake corpse, or the bloody bird in his arms. The body of the snake was quickly put into a sack by some Oompa-loompas. Wordlessly, it was held out to Wonka. The chocolatier stiffened and took the proffered item tensely.

"Come on, Charlie. Let's get back inside." His mother gently placed a hand on Charlie's back and began pushing him in the direction of the house. "Are you sure you're not hurt?"

"I'm fine mother, thanks to Feng Huang and Mr. Wonka." Charlie turned to watch Wonka again.

The man looked paler than usual, but his jaw was set firmly as he slung the plastic bag over his shoulder.

"Mr. Wonka! Where are you going?"

Wonka stopped as he was about to pass the Buckets by. Charlie felt worry filling his mind as the chocolatier looked back. There was a cheerful smile on his face, but the expression in his eyes was once again blocked by the brim of his hat. Instead, Charlie caught sight of Wonka's white-knuckled grip on the sack and felt a cold shiver run down his back.

"I have something I need to look into, Charlie." Wonka turned and began walking away. "I suggest you go get some rest. There's been quite a lot of excitement today."

_Break._

"Have you read the newspaper today?"

Count D carefully set down his teacup and took the newspaper from Pon-chan's hand. Across the front page in rather large block letters announced the death of the city's rising politician. A shadow of a smile curled Count D's lips.

"Ah, yes. Mr. Daniel McClairy. He was found shot to death at 2 o'clock at night. His brother, Eric, has been taken into custody." Mismatched eyes looked up and narrowed into a knowing smile at a figure crouched in the shadows. "I dare say you did your job rather well this time, Yaiko-kun." D took another sip of Oolong tea. "Eric's desire has been fulfilled. Jealousy, an emotions humans twist and use so often."

"You fffflatter me, I did nottthing at all. Ttthe human you call Eric just desssired me, jussst as he did his brotttther's successs." Yaiko-kun's eyes flashed from the dark. "I was jussst the fffffinal sssstraw."

"Who wouldn't desire a creature that could bring one fortune and fame?" Count D cut himself another slice of the chocolate mousse cake. "I dare say that Eric has certainly given himself the fame."

Yaiko-kun purred in the shadows and some of the other creatures tittered in amusement.

"D, Pon-chan wasn't talking about _that_." T-chan snatched the paper away and underlined another article with his nail. "Take a look at _this_."

_**Wonka's Chocolate Factory to be Closed?** _

Health authorities have just announced a shocking discovery. One box of Wonka's chocolates had been found to have the contaminants of animal wastes. Other boxes that had been shipped over as well have been tested, and the suspicions have been confirmed that the whole batch of chocolates has been contaminated.

"We have sent a letter to Mr. Willy Wonka regarding this problem," says the Head Health Official. "No doubt this is just an isolated case, but precautions should be taken. The closing should just be momentary, just enough for Mr. Wonka to check over things."

But some others say something else. "It's a disgrace! In all of my years of candy-making, no such problem has ever happened in my factory," comments Philus Prodnose. "There must be something wrong going on in that factory. I always thought there was something fishy going on, especially after that whole Golden Ticket fiasco!"

Mr. Wonka himself refused to say anything about the going-ons in his factory. But the public is rather alarmed. -Cont. on pg A-5

"Oh my," Count D picked up the teacup and turned it slowly in his hands. "This certainly comes as a surprise."

"Bull," spat T-chan. "You knew this was what that idiot wanted." The boy shrugged and shot D a grin. "At least you can't blame me now, if your chocolate supply goes away."

"Language, T-chan, language."

Someone knocked on the shop doors and Count D glanced up at the clock. All the creatures in the room, save a few, scattered away and Yaiko-kun padded deeper into the shop. "More late visitors?" The Count smiled when he saw the outline of the caller outside the door. Carefully, he pushed them open.

"Why, what a coincidence. I was just thinking about you, Mr. Wonka."

A look of distaste crossed the man's eyes as he pushed a large plastic bag into D's hands.

"Is there something the matter, sir?" the Count ushered Wonka inside and offered him some tea. It was quickly turned down. "Have you come to talk about the berry plant?" Wonka shook his head and continued clenching and unclenching his gloved hands. _'What have we here?'_ The image of a certain blond-haired detective flashed through his mind as Wonka pointed at the bag.

Count D warily put the plastic bag onto the ground. Silence filled the room as he cut the bag open. Smells of blood and bodily fluids permeated the air. The temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees as Count D straightened himself up to glare at the man seated quietly on the couch. "Did you do this?" His normally calm voice had a sharp edge of ice to it.

'This' was the body of Vene-chan. Crimson gashes covered his face, neck, and torso. Gaping red holes had replaced the area where startling yellow eyes had been. His snake-like body from the hips down glistened with the coppery tint of blood that had pooled in the bag.

"Do what?" Wonka looked up from the Cocoa Crème Berry plant at Count D. His pencil was still moving rapidly over the small notepad in his hands. Purple eyes alighted on the corpse in the bag and he shuddered. "Ew, gross, that." The chocolatier placed his attention back towards the plant. "No, I actually didn't. What is it?"

"_It_ happens to be called Vene-chan. He's a very rare creature that I found deep in the Amazon years ago."

"Then what was he doing in my chocolate factory? What was he doing ruining all my life's work? What was he doing trying to eat my only heir!" interrupted Wonka. He stood up and placed his hands on his hips.

"What happened to him?" Count D broke in.

A staring contest commenced before Wonka tucked his pencil and pad back into the folds of his coat. "He tried to eat Charlie."

Manicured fingers curled harshly over Count D's cheongsam as he struggled to keep from harming the man. "I know that much, Mr. Wonka. But. What. Happened?"

Wonka ignored the question and crossed his arms. "What has Charlie ever done to you, huh? What?"  
Count D narrowed his eyes but didn't answer.

"Nothing, right? Charlie has never done anything to you. Then what are you doing? Sending people into my factory, to destroy my work, to kill the best thing that has ever happened in my life?" the man gave a great sigh and inhaled deeply, a blush suffusing in his pale cheeks.

"I didn't send him." D picked up his now lukewarm tea and added some more steaming water into the cup. "I sold Vene-chan to a man by the name of Mark Ficklegruber. Does that ring any bells, Mr. Wonka? He had said he wanted revenge against someone, but I didn't know exactly who."

Wonka sank back into the plush cushions of the couch, his face frozen in a blank expression. The previously turned down cup of tea was back in his hands and he mechanically began stirring in large spoonfuls of sugar before sipping it with closed eyes.

"Feng Huang killed it."

"What?"

"I don't know what happened. It went after Charlie and then, all of a sudden, Feng Huang jumps onto that…creature's back." The empty tea cup clattered onto the table and rolled onto the carpet. "She starts howling and slashing at it and, before any of us knows what's going on," Wonka giggled and rubbed his face with his hands, "Your Vene-chan's gone." A shuddery breath escaped Wonka's lips. "The worst thing is what she looked like. Golly, she was covered in his blood, pieces of his…his," the sound of a contained retch barely makes it to Count D's ears. "It just wasn't right…and the look in her eyes…"

_'I let Mr. Ficklegruber send Vene-chan to his death.'_ D loosened his grip on his cup and gazed ruefully towards the snake. _'Feng Huang has always been rather protective of her owners.'_

"I apologize, Mr. Wonka, for causing you such trouble," murmured the Count. He walked to the man's side and tilted up Wonka's quavering chin. Troubled violet eyes shone pleadingly up to him. Gently, Count D cupped the face in his hands. "Get some rest, Mr. Wonka. You're quite a mess."

The scent incense in the room changed and Wonka's eyelids drooped. Slowly, D pulled away and watched as the man nodded off to a dreamless sleep.

"So whaddaya going to do about him?" asked T-chan, prodding the man's exposed neck.

"Let him sleep. He's going to need it." Count D prepared another well-deserved cup of Oolong tea. T-chan scowled and walked away to find Pon-chan who had run immediately after smelling the blood. She was probably hiding somewhere now. Stupid little kids.

_To be continued. . ._

Chapter Seven is finished and betaed! That's going to be next

Chapter 7 Summary: Even though the 'monster' is gone. More problems plague the factory and its owners! Even Count D gets his own troubles to deal with. What is the world coming to?

Review and tell me what you think. If you like it I'll be more likely to crank out Chapter 8. I get so much inspiration from my reviewers it isn't even funny. Flames will be read and then deposited into the incinerator in my mind. Constructive critisism is welcome.

Hellsfire.scythe


	7. Revelations

Title: Pure of Heart

Author: Hellsfire.scythe

Chapter: 7?

Chapter Summary: Even though the 'monster' is gone. More problems plague the factory and its owners! Even Count D gets his own troubles to deal with. What is the world coming to?

Summary: When Charlie turns eleven years old, 'What more does a boy want than a pet?' thinks Willy Wonka. Their trip to a local pet shop brings more surprises than 'just a pet' as competition begins to rear its ugly head. CatCF/PSoH

Time Setting: This is set a little more than one year after Charlie gets into the factory and a bit after volume ten of Pet Shop of Horrors.

**Chapter Seven: Revelations **

_Squeeeeaaak. Squeeeeaaak. _"Ficklegruber bought Vene-chan, but Count D said that it sounded as if Ficklegruber wasn't in this by himself." Wonka rocked precariously on the back two legs of his chair, his legs were propped up on the table and he stared at the two curly Ws that were imprinted on his shoes. "A conspiracy?" There was a moment of silence broken by the chair settling back down on all four of its legs. "Nah, I've been listening to Charlie too much about his school readings." Back up went the front two legs.

A knock sounded hollowly on the door. "Mr. Wonka?" Charlie's voice sounded quite muffled through the lovely rosewood. Wonka stopped chewing on his cherry-flavored pen and pressed a rather small button on his desk. The door swung open and Charlie toppled inside. Wonka watched as the boy picked himself up and stood in front of the desk.

"No need to be scared, silly." Wonka waved one of his gloved hands at a plush semi-sphere chair. "I don't bite."

"I'm not scared," Charlie declared as he settled down into the red and purple cushions. "I. . .I just wanted to tell you something."

"Of course! Why else would you be in here? It's an office, and what else are they made for than for boring grown-ups to discuss and scribble in?" Wonka swung his legs off of his desk and let the chair fall back on all fours again. "So, what is it, dear Charlie?"

Something unintelligible barely made it out of the boy's mouth and Wonka frowned. "You know, Charlie, speak up. I can barely hear a word you're saying." He gasped in mock-horror. "Don't tell me you're starting to talk like that Teevee kid!" That certainly grabbed Charlie's attention, and Wonka smiled back indulgingly. "Just kidding!" His hand casually grabbed a letter off of his desk and shoved it into one of the desk's many drawers in a flash.

"What was that, Mr. Wonka?"

"Oh, it's nothing, Charlie. I was just reading a letter from Dad."

"But he only sends letters―"

Quickly, Wonka pushed a button under his desk: a cacophony of noise blatted out without warning, startling Charlie further into his chair and making Wonka jump out of his seat. "Gee whiz, Charlie. What in the world was that?" he shook his head. "That simply won't do, won't do at all. Must get that fixed." All attention was turned back on Charlie. "So, what did you want to tell me?"

Charlie remained quiet for a moment and looked questioningly towards the chocolatier and then at the desk. Wonka just smiled innocently back. "Go on, Charlie."

"Do you remember that trip I took with my class? To the mountains?" Charlie started out simply, but his eyes flickered from the floor to Wonka every few seconds.

"That trip? The one where you were gone for days?" Wonka tapped a gloved finger to his chin. "Of course I remember that! You brought back Chruffles." He idly spun a large swirly lollipop near his desk. '_And you made me babysit.'_

"On the way back, I met someone." The boy seemed to grow more and more fidgety as the time passed. Wonka looked back with a quizzical look on his face. "Mr. Slugworth stopped me."

The lollipop head went flying as Wonka spun it too hard. "You met _who?_" He could barely believe his ears. "Haha, good one Charlie, you really had me going there. I'll have to remember that next time. Heh, you meeting Slugworth."

"No, Mr. Wonka! I'm telling the truth. He told me he wanted to make me a deal." The outburst startled both of them and Wonka stared at the boy with wide eyes. Charlie slowly put his hands on Wonka's arm. "He wanted me to spy on you, Mr. Wonka." Those clear blue eyes looked down momentarily and he felt as if all the air had been knocked out of him. Wonka steeled himself for the worst.

"I told him no."

"What?"

"I told him that I would never spy on you, Mr. Wonka. Not for anything in the whole entire world."

A rather warm fuzzy feeling seemed to fill Wonka's chest and he carefully embraced the boy. "Wow. . . just wow." Slowly, he ruffled Charlie's hair. "I don't think that's ever happened before. I mean, every one those low-down no-good spies in my factory, they didn't even think of turning Slugworth, or Ficklegruber, or Prodnose, or― or any of the others down."

Charlie looked back up and stepped away. Wonka was startled to find a trace of hurt in those eyes. "You thought that I would spy on you." It wasn't a question. It was a statement, an almost-not-really-just-barely-kinda-almost true statement.

"But I don't now!" Wonka tried to give the boy a cheering smile, but small shoulders slumped even further. "Look, my dear Charlie. I. . . I wasn't sure what to expect. You know? I―"

"I would _never _do anything to you like that, Mr. Wonka," interrupted Charlie. "I hope you'll keep that in mind now."

Awkward silence filled the room and Wonka slowly nodded, his mind still a blur. Charlie reached into his backpack and pulled out a long white envelope. "I got another letter from him, today." The thing was unceremoniously thrust into Wonka's gloved hands.

"But, Charlie. This is from your teacher." He finished peering at the previously opened envelope.

"No, Mr. Wonka. Read the letter."

_Why hello Charlie,_

_I just heard the most terrible news this morning from a rather excellent source. Apparently you were attacked by some sort of monster. I do say Wonka's factory seems to be becoming more and more unsafe and unsanitary by the minute._

_But I do digress. This is your last chance, Charlie. I'm offering you safety this time, and I highly doubt Mr. Willy Wonka can give you that with what's going to be coming. Come to me and you can tell me all of his candy-making secrets and I'll make sure nothing comes to hurt you or your family._

_This is the last time I'm going to be offering this to you. Think it over. Your family's life might depend on it this time. I'll give you a week to think it over. One week. Meet me at the factory gates a week from now with your family, and you will begin a whole new better life._

_-A good friend _

"I won't do it! I won't go to him no matter what. I promise that." Clear blue eyes glimmered truthfully and Wonka smiled for the first time in many days. But the feeling was soon crushed when the letter crackled in his hands.

Wonka quelled the urge to throw the letter, envelope and all, into the quite open and receptive trash bin. Instead he refolded the crisp piece of paper and tucked it away into his coat. "I hope you won't be needing this, dear Charlie." The boy shook his head. "Good, I'll keep it for a bit. Toodles, now."

"But. . .what should we do?"

"Let me think about it for a bit. Now get going and finish your homework."

As soon as the door closed and Wonka could hear the sound of the elevator rushing away at break-neck speeds, he pulled the letter from his coat and retrieved the one that he had hidden in the drawer.

"Those no good, rotten, thieving, scheming Vermicious Knids!" He stared at the letters, one from Slugworth, one from the Health Authorities. Slowly, Wonka sank into the chair that Charlie once occupied. His eyes scanned over both letters once again._'What am I to do?' _

Fingers raked through his chocolate brown hair as Wonka clutched his head, his mind was working frantically to think of a solution._'How has Charlie gotten tangled up in this mess? My mess.' _No, Charlie wasn't going to get any further involved in this. Slugworth was right; the health authorities were right. The factory just wasn't safe for the boy and his family _at the moment_. This problem was Willy Wonka's, and he would find a way to deal with those rotten eggs on his own.

A pristine white business card lay innocently on his desk and Wonka carefully picked it up. "Heh, wow, won't he be surprised," a nervous grin spread across his pale face. He cradled a rather old-fashioned phone on between his chin and shoulder as he dialed the number on the card.

The dial-tone rang and rang. It sounded three times before someone on the other end picked up.

_"Do you have an appointment?" _

"Hi!"

_Break. _

Welcome back to my pet shop." Count D's eyes followed a man's tall form impassively. An elegant eyebrow rose when a few more followed after. "What service might I be to you this time?" In the depths of his shop he could hear various creatures growling and hissing at the intruders. _Murderers... _

"The snake you sold Mr. Ficklegruber is missing," pronounced the tallest, stepping closer so that he looked down on the shorter being. Count D's responded with an unfathomable smile, undeterred by the other's looming presence.

A veil of black hair obscured the Count's venomous expression as he backed away from the man to restore his personal space. "Missing? How in the world could that have happened? Perhaps he's out hunting, and if he is, no doubt he'll return in time."

"_Don't _play games with me," the man growled threateningly. "We had a transmitter planted on that thing. I saw with my own eyes as the dot came to your shop. Sources tell me that Willy Wonka came to your shop with a large bag. Where did you put it? You shouldn't try to toy with the Slugworth Candy Industry."

"Who's playing games now, Mr. Slugworth?" Mismatched eyes narrowed into what looked like a smirk. "As a matter of fact, Mr. Wonka did bring your snake to me."

"Then where is it!"

A hiss interrupted the conversation and Count D lifted his forearm calmly. Ficklegruber and the other man gasped and backed away as a brightly colored coral snake coiled slowly around his wrist. Slugworth flinched but remained where he was.

_"Jussst one bite. . .intrudersss..." _

Count D tenderly unwrapped the snake from his wrist and set it on the mesh resting above one of the fish tanks. Its hisses never stopped but it took its instruction and remained coiled on the mesh. Other creatures gathered around in the shadows in their animal forms. Eyes glowed all around and the men clearly became uneasy.

_"Tear them apart."_

"_Feast on their flesh."_

"_Disgusting humans." _

Making no move to placate either the men or animals, Count D poured himself a cup of tea and coolly sipped the aromatic liquid. "It's quite a curious thing, Mr. Slugworth. Mr. Wonka actually brought the corpse of the snake. It seems that it had tried to attack young Charlie Bucket. How intriguing that it ended up in Mr. Wonka's factory."

Ficklegruber turned livid. The unknown man at Ficklegruber's side did the exact opposite, flabby jowls shaking as the man turned pale and gaped. But Slugworth's expression remained the same, save for the look of contempt that flared into his eyes. _'Detective Orcot could learn a lesson or two in patience from this man, but nothing more.'_

"L-look, now we know what happened to it. Let's go," stammered the round man. "T-this was j-just a bad idea. I mean, if Wonka gets wind that we're all―"

"Shut it, Philus!" Ficklegruber shouted.

In one swift movement, Slugworth grabbed the Count's wrist and twisted it behind the kami's body, pressing him firmly down on a nearby table. The cool barrel of a gun pressed against D's temple. "This has gone far enough!" Count D winced as Slugworth roughly pulled him back up, gun still in place. "One false word, Count, that's all it takes. One false word."

"Wait! Please! No violence!" Fake tears welled up in his eyes as he pleaded with his captors. Inwardly, dark pleased feelings burned like fire. "I'll give you something even better than before." Slugworth's hands slowly released D's wrist. The Count turned around and made a show of rubbing his throbbing wrist as he ignored the gun trained at his head before smirking. "Call it a replacement." His voice was once again cool and considering.

"Give me one good reason to trust you." Slugworth stated coldly.

Count D smiled back and spread his arms out. The brilliant silver serpent emboss on the black silk of his cheongsam stirred subtly as the cloth shifted with D's movements. "Give me any reasons you have _not _to."

Cautiously, Slugworth lowered his gun. "Take us to it."

"Follow me."

Distrust and fear radiated off of the men as they followed the Count further towards the back of the shop. Perfumed incense created hazy trails of smoke in the air, curling, creeping, all around. Painted lips curled in satisfaction when he stopped in front of a large gilded door. "Beyond this entrance, you will find a creature most willing to carry out your commands." Unhurriedly, the doors swung open, the men gaped at the sight. "This is a very rare creature. I was fortunate to find one lurking in America. It has the face of a human, horns and body of a sheep, eyes on its chest, and fangs of a tiger. It is the flesh-eater of Ancient China, though this one is still young."

"What sort of joke is this? You were describing a monster, but you're selling us a human boy? He's not even out of high school!"

"On the contrary, this is a totetsu, or taotie as they called it in China." Count D entered through the doorway and gently stroked T-chan's auburn hair. His manicured finger glided lazily over the outline of a horn. T-chan fixed a cat-like eye on Slugworth and grinned, showing off his razor-sharp fangs. "He's quite adequate for your needs. Killing humans has been something he's been doing for years."

After a moment of silence, Slugworth nodded. "We'll take him."

"That's a good choice, Mr. Slugworth. Now, if you will sign here," Count D pulled a piece of paper out of his sleeve, "You must abide by these three rules. If any of them are broken, then the shop holds no responsibilities for the troubles that occur, is that understood?"

Ficklegruber snatched the paper out of Count D's hand and pulled a pen out of his pocket. "What the hell? It'll just be like last time with that great big brute of a snake, won't it?" He finished signing his name and looked at the direction on the contract. "Burn incense for it daily. Easy enough. Do not aggravate or disturb it. Can do. Feed it six times a day with fresh meats or live animals. . ." the man chuckled. "We can take care of that." He tore off the copy of the contract and handed the original to Count D and received a ball of incense.

"Take him to the car. I'll meet you there in a minute." Slugworth tucked the contract into a pocket and waited as Ficklegruber and Prodnose led the totetsu away. The Count remained seated in an ornate chair and watched the man evenly.

When the distant sound of tinkling bells rang through the shop, he found the gun leveled towards his chest. A look of mild surprise crossed Count D's face. "May I ask what you will be doing with that, Mr. Slugworth?"

"Think of it as your payment, Count D."

A gun shot rang through the shop and Count D doubled over onto the floor. Footsteps faded away as Slugworth began walking back towards the shop entrance.

_"Shall we kill him?"_

"_Eat his flesh!" _

Weakly, D waved the suggestion away. "Leave him be. . . they'll all get as they deserve in due time." He pulled his hand away from his side and stared in fascination at his red-tinted hand. Blood was barely visible as it began to well through the black silk that framed the wound. "In due time…"

_Break. _

"Mr. Wonka! You can't do this! You can't!"

"It's just a bit of a vacation, dear boy! Don't you fuss about it, Charlie." Wonka ushered his heir and his family into the Great Glass Elevator. "I've just been working you so hard this whole year! It's time to relax." Quickly he pressed a button and they all went shooting through the factory.

Charlie frowned at Wonka. "A vacation at your dad's house?"

"Exactly, Charlie. It's out of the way, not many people out there. Plus, he says the field looks oh so beautiful in the spring. Flowers and birds and butterflies! Wow, I'm surprised I'm not staying there myself!" Wonka exclaimed as the city faded from view. He edged away as Feng Huang bounded over and hung around Charlie's shoulders. The image of her bare-handedly tearing Vene-chan to bits still lingered in his mind. He shuddered and shook his head. It wasn't as if he wasn't thankful for the little kid saving Charlie's life but. . .couldn't it have been less gross?

The boy looked as if he was about to say something, but was interrupted as Feng Huang pulled him away to look at the clouds. Wonka gave a sigh of relief and felt quite a bit lighter as they approached the lone building in the middle of a large meadow.

"Look! Butterflies!" cooed Grandma Georgina as she latched onto Wonka's arm.

Dr. Wonka was waiting on in the doorway as they approached. "Ah, Willy, I'm glad you took action over your responsibilities. I assure you that they will be safe here."

"Heh, thanks," Wonka managed to squeak. Charlie glared in his direction and he felt as if parts of him inside were shriveling up. No matter, the boy would understand later that this was for his own and his family's safety. How can you have an heir to a chocolate factory when the heir was gobbled up by something large and obnoxious? But a pang of sadness hit him when he realized he didn't know how long Charlie and his family were going to have to stay here.

"Please, Mr. Wonka. Don't do this," begged Charlie. "We can both figure this out."

Wonka shook his head and kneeled down so he was at Charlie's level. "I'm not risking anything, dear Charlie. Don't worry about me! Those snozzing snozzwhangers will never get to me!"

"You have to promise then, Mr. Wonka. Promise that you won't get hurt."

"I promise, cross my heart and be eaten by hornswogglers if I don't," Wonka replied softly. He started when Charlie reached into his purple and red coat pocket. Violet eyes widened when the boy extracted a perfect, flawless Promise.

"I'll keep it then, and make sure you don't break it." Carefully, Charlie tucked it into his own pocket. Suddenly, Wonka found himself on the receiving end of a frantic hug. He fondly rubbed the boy's back and returned the hug. "Be careful, Mr. Wonka."

"I will, Charlie, I will."

"Willy." The chocolatier turned to see Mrs. Bucket looking at them with an unidentifiable expression on her face. "Thank you."

A few minutes passed as all of the Buckets said their goodbyes. As Wonka picked his way back to the glass elevator, he could hear the conversation on the stairs.

"You're a handsome fellow, aren't you?" came Grandma Georgina's voice.

"Uh, thank you madam," replied Dr. Wonka's faltering voice.

"That's _my _wife you have there!" Grandpa George complained loudly.

Wonka watched from the elevator as the old man attempted to pry Grandma Georgina off of Dr. Wonka's arm. The accosted man just stood there as the rest of the Buckets attempted not to laugh. _'Good job,' _He congratulated himself. That was one more thing checked off of his list of things to do. Now, he had to take a more drastic action and his heart was heavier as he sped back to the factory.

_Break. _

April 14th, at eight o'clock am, the city was in complete shock.

The big bold letters on the headline spelled the most unbelievable and thing to ever have happen for twenty long years. People wandered in the streets, staring in wonder, hoping that the paper was wrong. But, no more smoke trailed into the sky and the smell of melted chocolate was blown away by the wind.

**_Wonka's Factory is Closed_**

_To be conintued..._

Note: The reason why Slugworth and Co. can see T-chan in human form is because of the special incense that Count D burns. That's the incense that he gives to them.

They shot Count D? Wonka's factory is closed? Charlie is at Dr. Wonka's place! What in the world? grins I hope this chapter was satisfactory. It sure gave me plenty of trouble than the others have before.

Also, I'm so glad I got some people to take up reading the PSOH series! Alright!

-Hellsfire.scythe


	8. Point of No Return

Title: Pure of Heart

Author: Hellsfire.scythe

Summary: When Charlie turns eleven years old, 'What more does a boy want than a pet?' thinks Willy Wonka. Their trip to a local pet shop brings more surprises than 'just a pet' as competition begins to rear its ugly head. CatCF/PSoH

Chapter: 8/9

Chapter Summary: Everything goes down the drain. . .

**Chapter Eight: Traveling **

"Humph, fucking British, putting their cars on the wrong side of the street."

A man reached his hand reached out of a car window and flicked a smoldering cigarette butt onto the street. The tall American stretched as he stepped out of the taxi. "Ah! Watch it, you bastard!" He stumbled onto the sidewalk as the bright yellow car speed away. Dark sunglasses tumbled onto the street and cracked.

"Man, these were new too." grumbled the man, running fingers through strands of blond hair that came loose from his ponytail. Blue eyes narrowed in annoyance and he pocketed the broken sunglasses.

_Ring. Ring._

A cell phone was swiftly pulled from its belt holder. "Hello?"

"_Hey, Leon! Found your Count yet?"_

"Yeah, Jill, wha―" Leon stopped when suddenly absorbed what the woman had said. A rich blush suffused his cheeks and he scowled horribly into the phone. "He's not _my_ Count."

"_Whatever you say, Leon."_

"Shut up. Or I won't tell you the bit of news I have."

"_What? What news?"_

"I was looking in the local paper this morning and ―"

"_Oh my gosh! Did you see the story about that Chocolate Factory closing down? It was all over the news back at home."_

"Yeah, I saw that. But that's beside the point. You would never guess what I found."

"_Tell. Now."_

"It said a nearby town has been experiencing some strange deaths."

"_Seemingly to be caused by animals?"_ There was a hint of excitement in Jill's voice.

"Damn right, it seems that there's been a new pet shop opened by a Chinese man."

"_When are you going?"_

"As soon as I can. But there seems to be a bad storm coming up, so I can't get any of the fucking taxies to take me."

Leon's scowled even harder as Jill's sympathetic laughter sounded through the earpiece.

_Break._

"Grandpa Joe! Grandpa Joe!" Charlie hurtled through the dining room entrance and waved the morning paper around wildly.

Mrs. Bucket cast a disapproving look towards the boy's direction. "Now, Charlie. No yelling at the breakfast table. You'll give us all heart attacks."

"But mom," The paper was unfolded and he thrust it forward for the whole room to see. "He. . . he. . . why'd he do it?" Charlie rushed to Grandpa Joe and put the newspaper in the old man's hand. "Read it out loud, grandpa. Maybe I'm seeing it wrong."

**Wonka's Factory is Closed!**

_Many years ago, Willy Wonka expelled all of his workers from his factory, and claimed to shut down the factory. After a long time passed, his factory opened up again, creating even more wonderful candies for the public to enjoy. Eleven years passed and more and more candies were shipped out of the factory. One year ago, the world was caught up in finding the Golden Tickets hidden beneath the wrapping of five ordinary Wonka bars._

_But troubles seemed to be plaguing the factory when a contaminated box of Wonka bars was found by health officials. They urged Willy Wonka to shut down his factory temporarily. Now. . .it has been done. No more smoke rises from the tall chimney stacks. No more candies make their way out of the factory. _

_No one has been able to get a hold of the elusive candy maker so many questions remain unanswered. How long will the factory be shut down? For what strange reasons? What has been causing trouble for Willy Wonka?_

_There are many opinions about the safety and usefulness of the factory all around the world. Though, this city will mourn the closing of its most famous landmark for the second time._

Grandpa Joe shakily set the newspaper down, breakfast was forgotten as the adult Buckets all cast wary glances around the table and then towards Charlie, unsure of what to say. A reporter on the television stood in front of the bleak gates Wonka's chocolate factory. His words only reinforced the point made in the paper.

Dr. Wonka's lips tightened into a thin line but he continued to cut and eat his steaming breakfast. The only sound in the room was his clanking silverware and the breathing of the building's inhabitants.

Charlie's jaw began to tremble and he drew in a weak breath. Feng Huang's soft tail feathers curled around Charlie's neck and she trilled softly before gently nibbling his ear. He slowly backed out of the dining room, blue eyes wide in shock.

"Wait, Charlie." Mrs. Bucket called out with a soft voice.

The sound of footsteps pattered out of the room. A door swung open and slammed shut. Silence returned to the room.

Out the window, Grandpa Joe could see the figure of a boy racing out among the bright flowers before falling into the deep grass out of sight. He took one last look at the newspaper before pouring the rest of his coffee over it. His chair scrapped against the wooden floor and the elderly man made his way over to the living room. '_I never thought I'd live to see the day that Wonka's factory would close down again.'_

_Break._

Tears ran down Charlie's face as he flung himself into the sweet smelling grass of the meadow. _'Why? Why Mr. Wonka?'_ Feng Huang fluttered down from above and landed lightly on his back.

He carefully sat back up and pulled the almost full-grown avian into his arms. Charlie choked on a sob as she began preening his hair. A beautiful and haunting melody reverberated from Feng Huang's throat. Charlie's heart ached as he inhaled the scent of melted chocolate and perfumed incense in her brilliant red plumage. They never should have left the factory. He might have been able to stop Wonka from closing the factory. Maybe.

"D-do you think Mr. Wonka is alright?" Charlie managed to gasp out between sobs. "What if Slugworth did something to him?"

Feng Huang stopped her preening and looked back at him with doleful obsidian eyes.

"I've lost my home. I can't loose Mr. Wonka. . .Willy as well."

Charlie started as Feng Huang hopped back from him. She shook herself furiously and he blushed when flecks of his tears flew off her body. If his situation wasn't so glum, the sight of the bird would have been quite comical. For a moment, her feathers stayed puffed up into the air. Quickly, they receded back to their normal position. Flashes of gold blurred his vision when she stretched out her wings.

"Would you go check on Mr. Wonka? Make sure he's alright?" He whispered, hoping she could understand. Feng Huang's head bobbed back in response and she produced a loud trill before vaulting into the air. He squinted as she seemed to circle around the outline of the sun once. When the speck of red and gold disappeared into the sky, Charlie felt his heart lighten.

It would probably take a couple of days for Feng Huang to make it back to the factory. The elevator needed a few hours to get to Dr. Wonka's house and Feng Huang was definitely not as fast as it was, and she needed rest and food.

Silently, desperately, Charlie latched on to hope that everything would be alright.

_Break._

It was quiet. Much too quiet.

Wonka nibbled his bottom lip as the sound of his footsteps rang loudly through empty hallways. His gloves squeaked incessantly as he rubbed latex fingers around the plastic of his new cane.

There were no tiny voices to be heard anywhere. Wonka poked his head into the Butterscotch and Buttergin room. Rows of amber-colored bottles glistened merrily on tiers of shelves, but other than that, the room was empty. There were no Oompa-loompas in here today. Most of the small people had sequestered themselves into the Chocolate Forest room, attempting to patiently wait out the week till the danger was over. Despondently, he closed the door.

The Candy Horticulture room came just around the corner. Violet eyes widened in delight when they saw clusters of plumb colored chocolates hanging off of swudge stems. Wonka popped on of the Cocoa Crème berries into his mouth and reveled in the sweet and tangy flavor exploded over his taste-buds. For a moment he forgot all of the troubles that were surround him and his factory. He whipped around with a handful of berries in his palm, ready to bombard Charlie with the finally ready candy. All he found was empty space. Wonka's shoulders sunk, Charlie was still gone, and he would have to stay gone until the danger was over.

Heaviness settled in Wonka's chest his footsteps once again rang through the halls.

Charlie had been gone for three days, Willy Wonka had begun to miss him after his father's building disappeared from sight. The chocolatier passed by the Inventing room. Nothing was going to be done there. He had already attempted. But with Charlie gone, a cloud of gloom seemed to follow him everywhere. All of the experiments turned out horribly.

Not for the first, or the last time, Wonka wished for the week to be over.

Footsteps rang down the halls. Another door opened and closed.

_Break._

"Fuck that!"

Leon slammed the phone back into its cradle, earning a few incredulous stares in the inn lobby as he did so. He glowered back in their directions and stalked out onto the streets. A car rushed by splattered a wave of muddy water towards him. Quickly, he jumped out of the way and glared at the back of the quickly receding driver.

Great, just great. His day was swirling further down the tube. The town's only taxi had fallen into a ditch and needed repairs. He wouldn't be able to get out of this town for another day or two. Leon ground his teeth and ran his fingers through his matted hair. D could be anywhere by then! Anywhere!

Out came his cigarette and a lighter. Leon inhaled the calming smoke into his lungs and sighed. The cloudy sky flickered with light and threatened another storm. He blinked when he thought he saw a speck of scarlet weave through the angry grey clouds. A runaway balloon?

He ducked into a nearby café and hunkered into a small booth. A frazzled waitress took his order and quickly brought him a cup of steaming black coffee and a tray of sunny-side up eggs. The sound of rambunctious laughter interrupted his thoughts and he glared back in annoyance at a bowler hat that peeked over the top of his seat. Sounded like some sort of celebration. Feh, business men. His eyebrow rose when he heard hushed voices instead. Some sort of secret or something?

"How is the animal?"

"Growling in his cage. I can't believe that Chinaman thinks that it can eat, or even kill people. Sean, he must have been pulling your leg." murmured a much quieted voice, the others chuckled.

Leon's eyes widened and he pressed himself further against the booth seat, his ears strained to hear the conversation. A Chinese man who sold an animal he claimed was a man-eater? Those mysterious deaths in the other town? _'Count D. . .'_ It was too much of a coincidence. But what were these guys doing with a dangerous animal like that? He crushed his cigarette butt in a small glass tray.

"It doesn't matter, Philus. Charlie will be coming with us, and then, we can set the animal loose into the factory. No more competitor. Not to mention, we can buy the factory ourselves and see how in the world Willy Wonka created his candy."

"Not to mention we'll be the ones using them now."

"A toast then, to the success of our plans, gentlemen?" a third voice chimed in.

"A toast it is! A toast to the success of our plans and the riddance of that abhorrent Chinaman."

The mug that was gripped in Leons hands shattered and he hissed as the hot coffee scalded his skin. A head popped over the edge of the booth. Bowler Hat stared at him coolly, as if saying 'Is there a problem?' Leon forced a nonchalant smile and shrugged. "These mugs are so damn cheap." The man seemed to take the excuse and nodded slowly. Two other men followed quietly as Bowler Hat strode out of the building.

Leon slammed a tip on the table and rushed out after them. They were no where to be seen. The sound of a car's engine revving up reached Leon's ears. He ran into a nearby alley and crept up to the rumbling vehicle. It was empty.

"What the ―"

"Looking for someone, sir?"

He whipped his gun out of its holster. "Fre― ah!"

Through his rapidly darkening vision and the ringing in his ears, Leon could barely make out that the sound of the engine seemed to be much closer. The world turned black.

_Break._

This was it. Wonka peered out of the shadows of his factory and stared at the stars above. They were no where to be seen. The shape of an Oompa-loompa gave a thumb up from inside sugar-frosted windows. Slowly, the gates creaked open. One week had passed.

His shoes clicked on the cool pavement as he exited from the factory gates. A gust of spring air blew past him and Wonka found himself shying away from the bright street lights that stood nearby. The sound of an engine made him turn slowly. Fifty meters away stood a tall figure swathed in a dark trench coat. A bowler hat topped the man's head. Wonka swallowed an audible gulp and strode resolutely towards him, his cane tapping crisply on the silent city streets.

There was confusion at first on the man's face and Wonka lightly smirked. "What are you doing here, Mr. Slugworth? Don't you have more important things to do? Like, run your own factory?" his tone was seemingly innocent.

"I wasn't expecting to see you tonight, Willy Wonka." Slugworth replied after a moment of contemplation. Wonka tightened his lips when he saw the man's eyes dart towards the car.

"Ah, of course, you were expecting dear Charlie, weren't you?"

"Why yes, and where might he be? Have you locked him away in your factory?" It was Slugworth's turn to smile. "Was that because you knew he would come to us?"

Violet eyes hardened and latex squeaked as Wonka tightened his grip on the cane. "On the contrary, Mr. Slugworth, Charlie has no intention of coming to you. Instead, _I_ have come."

"And why might that be, Willy?"

"I want you to never bother Charlie again. I want you to stay away from my factory and my heir and his family!" Wonka stepped confidently up to Slugworth and prodded the man's chest, emphasizing his point. "If you don't you'll be very sorry."

Something jabbed back against his own chest and Wonka startled away. His eyes widened when he saw a pistol in Slugworth's hand. The car doors flung open and Wonka's expression turned sour as Ficklegruber and Prodnose exited the vehicle, carrying between them a large covered cage. "I told you to be careful, Willy, when you first came into the candy business. But did you listen to me? No. Now, you'll have to face the consequences." chuckled Slugworth as he glided his finger over the trigger affectionately.

Wonka just stared at the gun and slowly began to reach into his pockets. A shot rang in the air and he jerked his hand back. Smoke from Slugworth's gun drifted lazily into the sky.

"Keep your hands where I can see them."

Reluctantly, Wonka pulled his hands into the air.

A tongue darted out of the corner of Slugworth's mouth and the candy maker flashed a rotten smile. "You have no idea of how long I have waited for this day."

"S-so why are you still waiting? Huh?" Wonka retorted.

Slugworth's smile curled into a frown. "Count yourself lucky that I'm not the one that will be killing you." The door to the cage slid open and a feral growl began to rumble from its depths.

"How are you gonna do it then?"

"You will be eaten, like the confections that you create, you will be savored. A fitting death actually."

"You're going to eat me?" Wonka squeaked.

Prodnose snorted and kicked the cage. "We're not cannibals," Wonka visibly relaxed. "But what we have here definitely will like eating you." Wonka's skin turned as white as a sheet.

Two yellow eyes glowed hungrily in the darkness of the cage. As the being emerged, Wonka's expression turned from surprise, to confusion, and then to horror. "You! Y-you c-cannibal!"

T-chan stared back at him distastefully and growled threateningly. The teen seemed be rather gaunt and haggard, as if he hadn't been fed for days. But instead of pouncing towards the chocolatier, he instead turned to the man nearest him: Ficklegruber.

Screams filled the night. Wonka stared in revulsion as the man was ripped apart. Shakily, he tottered towards the solid factory gates. Two shots sounded. Wonka collapsed as he felt something pass painfully through his shoulder. Blood began seeping through the hole in his velvet coat. The bullet had gone clean through. T-chan on the other hand was on the ground as well, in a pool of blood. Whether or not the blood that covered him was his own or Ficklegruber's was not clear. Slugworth was the only one remaining, for Prodnose had run at the first sign of trouble.

A familiar cry entered Wonka's hearing and he felt small hands gently grasp his arm. Obsidian eyes watered mournfully and pearly tears began sliding out. They steamed and sizzled as they made contact with his wound.

Slugworth leveled his gun once again, this time he aimed towards Wonka's heart. Before he could pull the trigger, Feng Huang flung herself up. Shock began to set into Wonka's body and his vision began fading. He heard angry screams and panicked shouts. One last shot thundered in his mind before everything faded away.

_Break._

"Humans, they carry death and destruction everywhere, do they not?"

Count D gazed sorrowfully at the blood covered pavement. Parts of Ficklegruber's body lay strewn around. T-chan was unconscious, the bullet had grazed the totetsu's temple. He turned his attention instead towards the man that cowered on the ground, holding his bleeding face.

"Who's there?" was the demand.

A smile graced Count D's lips as he bent over near the man's vulnerable neck. "Your destiny." One swipe. Blood spurted into the air and the body convulsed. Count D tentatively licked his nails and grimaced at the taste of the bitterness in the man's blood.

"Kami. . ."

He rapidly turned and gasped at the sight of the phoenix's broken body. The shape of the crimson bird shifted into a more familiar form. Feng Huang smiled weakly as blood steadily trickled from her crimson and gold robes. Ornately black done hair had come loose and hung messily down her back. The diamonds and rubies that adorned her no longer seemed to be glow on their own accord.

"Feng Huang."

She gave him one last contented smile before her body was suddenly engulfed in flames. The fire continued to burn until all that was left was a fine ash, and one pearl pin. Count D dropped to his knees and meticulously scooped the ash into a silk handkerchief.

Lights began flickering on in nearby buildings. Count D frowned and quickly cleaned up the mess on the sidewalk with a gesture of his hand. No one could know of this. The corpses were quickly carried away by scavengers. Now, he focused his attention on the unconscious chocolatier.

_Break._

Darkness, he awoke to darkness. Leon struggled to get up but found himself bound tightly. He swore angrily and strained even more. The sound of voices outside made him stop. Then, there were gunshots, and screams. What was going on out there? What was going on! He kicked hard against whatever was holding him in. Was he trapped in a fucking car trunk? A case banged against his head when he knocked it over and he swore again.

The screaming had stopped. Instead he heard an insane amount of scratching and pattering of tiny feet. Then, it came. That voice. _His_ voice. It was D. It was Count fucking D! He was this close to finally finding that bastard! His struggles increased. A swish of silk sounded close by, and was that the crackling of a fire?

"No! No!" Leon tried to shout through his gag, but all that came out were muffled noises. He tried to listen to the noises outside, but everything was silent again.

_To be continued . . ._

Oh my, an update finally. I apologize for being so slow with this chapter. School has been so freaking busy, wow. Hopefully the last chapter/epilogue won't take so long.

This is un-betaed since my beta has been quite busy as well. I'll probably post the beta-ed version on this weekend when she can look at it. Hopefully, this almost last chapter was up to all of your standards and I apologize if it isn't. Constructive criticism please?

Ack, my first time portraying Leon. How was it? Read and Review, it is my live almost.

Preview for the epilogue:

"Are you going to be alright?" Charlie took Wonka's, for once, ungloved hand in his own. Thankfully, the man didn't flinch much and Charlie smiled.

Slowly, the chocolatier pulled the cap off his head. He sat back up again and flashed a confused smile. "I. . .I think so." With a free hand, Wonka slowly touched his linen-clad shoulder. Charlie's own confusion grew as a look of shock flickered through Wonka's eyes.

-Hellsfire.scythe


	9. Epilogue

Title: Pure of Heart

Author: Hellsfire.scythe

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, that belongs to the good man Raold Dahl. I also have no right to claim that Pet Shop of Horrors is mine, for the it rightfully belongs to its brilliant author whose name I shamefully do not remember.

Chapter: 9/9

Chatper Summary: And everything winds down.

Summary: When Charlie turns eleven years old, 'What more does a boy want than a pet?' thinks Willy Wonka. Their trip to a local pet shop brings more surprises than 'just a pet' as competition begins to rear its ugly head. CatCF/PSoH

Time Setting: This is set a little more than one year after Charlie gets into the factory and a bit after volume ten of Pet Shop of Horrors.

**Chapter Nine: Epilogue**

"Mr. Wonka, wake up! Mr. Wonka?"

Bleary violet eyes blinked open and Charlie scooted himself back to give the man space. Imagine the surprise of the Buckets and Dr. Wonka when they received a phone call from Terry (Willy's trusted psychiatrist) in the middle of the night telling them to come back. Apparently, the chocolatier was running a fever of some sort. The Great Glass Elevator immediately landed in front of Dr. Wonka's flat and everyone piled in, anxious to see the condition of the chocolatier.

"Huh? Wha-what's going on?" Wonka winced as he sat up abruptly, "Golly, yowch!"

"Honestly, you shouldn't strain yourself. You had a fever, Willy." Mrs. Bucket admonished gently, she pushed him back into his plump pillows. Charlie cocked his head as he saw Wonka's eyes dart around, taking in the plush surroundings of his room as if seeing it for the first time. The chocolatier's night cap slid over one eye but was ignored. It had been Charlie's first time inside the chocolatier's quarters, but this was Willy Wonka's room. Why would he be surprised at seeing it?

"Are you going to be alright?" Charlie took Wonka's, for once, ungloved hand in his own. Thankfully, the man didn't flinch much and Charlie smiled.

Slowly, the chocolatier pulled the cap off his head. He sat back up again and flashed a confused smile. "I. . .I think so." With a free hand, Wonka slowly touched his linen-clad shoulder. Charlie's own confusion grew as a look of shock flickered through Wonka's eyes.

"Is there something wrong?" asked Charlie. Wonka shook his head, making his hair swish quickly back and forth.

"I think he still needs some rest," boomed Dr. Wonka's voice from a squashy armchair. "If I remember correctly, fevers usually take a lot out of Willy." With more than a little impatience, the elderly man herded the Buckets out of Willy's quarters. The younger Wonka gulped and pulled his covers up to his nose as Wilbur Wonka's steely gaze rested on him

_Break._

Pieces of the small crystal orb caught the morning light and scattered rainbows throughout the room. Willy stared at the Promise he had made and broken to Charlie.

"_You're quite lucky I found it in this state before Charlie did, I'm sure he would have been quite upset."_

Wonka wrinkled his nose as his father's words echoed back to him. As usual, the dentist was correct, if Charlie had seen this, there would be a lot of uncomfortable questions to answer concerning the other night. What _had_ happened that night? How in theworld had he ended up in his room?

"All I remember is Feng Huang appearing out of no where and then a gun shot. . ." His already pale visage grew even whiter. What had happened to her? What happened to Slugworth, and Ficklegruber, and Prodnose? "A gun shot?" He looked back out of his window and stared down at the pristine sidewalk just outside of his factory gates. There was nothing there. Suddenly, images of blood and bodies filled his mind. He staggered back from the glass and sagged into his bed, his hands clutching his head.

There was a knock on his door and Wonka stared listlessly as an Oompa-loompa entered carrying his regular clothing. Wildly, he snatched up his plum-red coat and perused it for anything out of the ordinary. There. On left shoulder. He couldn't even make out the stitching for the darned area. _'There was a bullet hole there. . .' _Fred did his job all too well. There was no sign of blood anywhere on the rich velvet, but, how did that wash out? With more than a little wariness, the Oompa-loompa handed the rest of Wonka's folded clothing up to him.

"Yeah, thanks." Wonka numbly accepted the pile and watched as the Oompa-loompa exited the room, closing the maroon door behind him. Seconds later, the door opened again. This time Terry walked through, black notebook in hand and seemingly ready for an appointment with the chocolatier.

"You seem a lot better now," announced the Oompa-loompa when Wonka did nothing but stare. "We were getting worried."

The sound of rustling clothes interrupted the few seconds of silence as Wonka picked up his coat again and stared at its unblemished surface. "Y-you mean, what happened last night, really ―"

Wonka stopped when Terry nodded stiffly back. "A rather. . . odd man brought you in. I was still in my office at that time and managed to catch up to him," the Oompa-loompa glanced over Wonka again and the chocolatier frowned in frustration. What? What was the matter?

"Is my head on wrong or something?" Wonka's demanded in a clipped voice.

Terry ignored the man's frustration and calmly clambered up into a squishy armchair. Somehow, the Oompa-loompa still managed to look dignified while doing so. "No, Willy. You're head is. . ." the little man paused and looked a bit thoughtful before finding a way to finish. "on quite the same way it always is." At Wonka's look of impatience, Terry decided to continue with his recount. "You were in blood. The man somehow found his way to your quarters and disposed you there."

"What about my clothes? The blood?"

"The blood was gone, your clothing changed and clean, and you were in rather good condition."

"The man?"

"Disappeared," finished Terry. The psychiatrist reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a folded envelope. "This was left in my office."

With that, the Oompa-loompa hopped off the chair and exited the room.

Shakily, Wonka picked up the creamy paper and broke open the seal of the envelope. A golden hair pin encrusted with diamonds and rubies felll from the letter to his lap. He stared at the strange calligraphic handwriting flowed smoothly over the heavy paper.

_Dear Mr. Wonka,_

_It was a pleasure to know you, you'll be happy to know that your candy horticulture has grown quite nicely and it tastes even better. _

_Do be more careful next time. _

_Goodbye._

_-D_

_PS: I'll have you know that I bought all the boxes of Whipple Scrumptious Delight that I could before my departure. _

Violet eyes widened. '_Departure?'_ thought Wonka. He snatched the bejeweled pin and then brought the letter closer to his eyes. What about Feng Huang? What happened to her? His thoughts raced back to the previous night.

_A gunshot rang through the air._

Wonka dashed madly out of his room.

_Break._

Leon staggered out of the obnoxious cab and growled an unappreciative curse towards the driver. It was ignored and the blond detective received a face full of acrid smelling exhaust as the vehicle vroomed away.

"Bastard,"

There it was. A grin spread across Leon's face when he read the sign in the window. 'Count D's Pet Shop'. "I finally have you, D."

Confidently, he marched toward the elaborate red doors of the shop and grasped a warm bronze handle. It door didn't budge. Leon made an irritated face and yanked harder on the door. Nothing.

He bit his lip, apprehension actually dared to creep into his mind before he furiously pushed it away. Heh, no way. Maybe D was out, yeah, he was getting some more candy or something. There's no way. . . no way.

Footsteps pattered down the street. There he was! Leon turned to surprise the Count, but found himself face-to-face with. . .not the Count. A frightened squeal burst into the air from the strange being. Leon yelped and stumbled back. For a few moments, all that was exchanged between the two for a minute was ragged breathing.

'_What a fucking weirdo.'_

"Watch where you're going next time."

A pair of eyes snapped up in shock. A pair of _purple_ eyes.

'_What the fuck?' _

The sound of a cane planting itself firmly onto the cement snapped through the silence. "MUMBLER!"

Leon found himself being shoved aside by the rather colorful looking cane. A murderous glare entered his eyes as he listened to the being now identified as a man talk to himself.

"Honestly, I don't understand these Americans. Mumblers the lot of them! That Teevee kid was bad enough," the man went through the same attempts Leon did to open the door, it still didn't budge.

"You one of D's customers?" Leon drawled, he casually stuck his hands into the pockets of his jeans, but inside he could feel his heart rate increase.

The man flinched and jerkily turned his face in Leon's direction. "Yes, what if I am?"

"I'm just askin' no need to snap. Jeez."

After a few more attempts at the door, the man's shoulders sagged and he gave up. He gave Leon a wary look before pressing his lips into a thin line. "What are you here for?"

Leon shook himself out of his thoughts and looked at the man. "What did you say?"

An impatient sniff sounded from the man and Leon raised an eyebrow at the sound of squeaking latex. The guy was wearing lavender rubber gloves. He knew that the Brits were strange, but this guy just exceeded them all. "What are you here for?" repeated the man slowly as if speaking to a delinquent.

"Not that it's any of your business, but I'm lookin' for D." answered Leon through gritted teeth. This guy was honestly asking for trouble.

Some unidentifiable emotion flitted over the man's face before he turned smartly away on his heel. "I don't think you'll find him here anymore."

"Wait! What!" shouted Leon. But it was too late. The man was already walking away towards something at the end of the block.

_Bam!_

The man collided into something and slipped onto the ground. Leon stood for a moment in shock. What just happened? Gingerly, the man got onto his feet and pressed his thumb against something. There was a chiming noise and Leon gaped as he finally saw the outline of an elevator. A freaking glass elevator. Wait, top hat, weird coat, cane, glass elevator? That would mean ―

"Hey! You're Willy Wonka!"

The shout was drowned out by the sound of roaring fire blasting out of the contraption. Leon watched as the elevator flew away towards the giant-ass factory in the middle of the town.

"Fuck."

He had really screwed this up hadn't he?

"_I don't think you'll find him here anymore."_

Leon turned as footsteps slowly wandered down the sidewalk and stopped in front of the shop. A burly man grunted as he unrolled a poster from under his arm. It was quickly taped up and the man walked away, never acknowledging the tall American that stood staring at the sign.

_Sold._

"Shit." Leon mumbled. Quickly, he wiped something out of the corner of his eye. "Stupid allergies," A barely audible sniff made its way out of his mouth before he trudged wearily down Magnolia Avenue.

_Break._

The moon shown clearly in the night sky as pearly white clouds rolled gently underneath the prow of the ship. Count D stroked the silky head of a white tiger that purred loudly against his waist.

"It was about time to leave that little town anyways." He quietly murmured to himself. "I had been hearing rumors about our dear detective being rather close in the area."

"So what, we're running away again, eh D?"

The kami's eyes narrowed fractionally as he turned to see T-chan lounging on the roof of a cabin.

"Not, running away. . .just avoiding confrontation."

"Same thing," T-chan's fangs glistened as he smirked.

Pon-chan dashed out of the cabin. "D! She's hatching!"

Count D pulled himself away from the comforting view of the night and silently glided towards the cabin.

No matter how many times things would end. They would always start over, right from the beginning, like a never ending cycle. It was much like the life of a phoenix, birth by flame, death by flame, always starting, always ending.

It was a pity that he couldn't stay in that town any longer that he did. He had never really encountered anyone quite like Willy Wonka. Well, he had never encountered anyone quite like the detective either, but. . .

"Count D!"

"I'm coming."

_Break._

"Look! Mr. Wonka! I can't believe it! Your candy is selling spectacularly!" Charlie Bucket raced through the door and into Wonka's office.

"Our candy, Charlie," Wonka corrected.

It had been a few months since that incident-which-is-never-to-be-mention-in-front-of-Charlie. To Charlie, it seemed as if nothing had ever happened, in fact, oddly, all of the Buckets didn't seem to remember much of what had happened before the incident.

"_Hey Charlie, do you know where Feng Huang is?"_

_The boy turned and looked at him with curious blue eyes. "Feng Huang? Is that one of your candies Mr. Wonka?"_

Wonka shuddered, whether it was about the thought of Feng Huang as a candy, or the idea that Charlie was chillingly oblivious to the past half year he had spent with the 'pet', he wasn't sure.

"What's the matter, Mr. Wonka?"

"Ah, nothing, dear Charlie," Wonka replied with a disarming smile. "You better get back to your schoolwork, or else your mother will throw a fit at me."

"Mom has never thrown a fit at you, Mr. Wonka."

"Well, I don't want her to start now!"

His thoughts turned back to the events that followed Charlie's eleventh birthday when the boy exited the room. Dr. Wonka, or . . .dad, had said something about meeting a strange character before entering the factory with the Buckets after the 'incident'.

"_When that man's gaze fell on us, I felt as if I had just woken up from an anesthetic," Dr. Wonka paced thoughtfully in Willy's quarters. "It was a strange feeling." The elder man stopped and looked directly at his son. "He told us to forget, to forget everything that had happened," At that, Dr. Wonka paused. "Then he vanished."_

Vanished. Like everything else that had to do with the 'incident'.

Wonka pushed himself away from his desk and chewed on his cherry-flavored pen. With a sigh, he ambled toward the door. As he passed by the window, something gold glittered brightly on his breast pocket.

The door to Wonka's office closed. The hum of the factory continued on as it always had. A chapter in Wonka's life was ended. It was time to start a new one.

On Wonka's desk, a newspaper lay spread open on the 'International' news page. One headline was circled with bright red ink.

_**Man Found Chewed To Pieces in Bangladash**_

It seemed that he wasn't the only one starting over.

_End_.

Thus ends the Pure of Heart story. I might have to change the title, it has almost nothing to do with the actual story. Any suggestions -

I thank everyone who has been with me this whole entire bumpy ride of writing this. This story really ran away with itself, and I'm proud to have finally finished it. Any comments? I'll be eternally thankful and will take any. Thank you once again to those people who have always managed to inspire me to write and continue on with this little story.

Hellsfire.scythe


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